Rep.-Elect Allen West Dismisses Controversial Chief Of Staff Before She Starts

WASHINGTON -- Congressman-elect Allen West (R-Fla.) is cutting ties with his contentious appointment for chief of staff weeks before she even starts in the position.

The Florida Republican released the following statement on Thursday announcing that Joyce Kaufman, a controversial radio talk show host who has made derisive statements on illegal immigrants and Muslim Americans, would not be serving in his office.

It is with deep regret that this Congressional office and the people of CD 22 will not have Joyce Kaufman as my Chief of Staff. Joyce is a good friend, and will remain loyal to South Floridians and to me. I will always seek Joyce's counsel for being a good Representative of this Congressional District.

An unorthodox pick for the position in the first place, Kaufman was a liability for the Congressman-elect moments after he announced her selection. Among the more flamboyant remarks she had made in the past include the following:

She said at a rally, with West standing by, "Calling illegal immigrants 'undocumented workers' is like calling a drug dealer a pharmacist without a license." She was furious that children of illegal immigrants were educated in public schools and received health care at emergency rooms. "There are people who want to change your way of life, and some of them may be your gardeners," she said.

Her anger is not limited to illegal immigrants. "There's no way I'm going to live in a country that's been radically Muslim-ized ... and I'm not afraid to say it," she said at a protest in Jupiter. She also said at the protest that the United States was "this close" to moving towards "fascistic and tyrannical rule."

UPDATE: On her Florida radio show Thursday, Kaufman announced that she was removing herself from the incoming chief of staff role, saying she didn't want to be part of an "electronic lynching." Per Weigel:

I will not be used in an electronic lynching by proxy... you guys can do all the things you want to me, but I will not participate in you trying to destroy him

.

Comments

[pomegrante]

05:09 PM on 11/17/2010

http://cbs4.com/defedecolumn/defede.joyce.kaufman.2.2006417.html

[mmsuki]

11:46 AM on 11/15/2010

Great start to your congressional career, Mr. West.

[conservo]

09:42 PM on 11/13/2010

Apparently the Tea Party is sooo racist that they helped several black candidates get elected-----Go figure.

[barnowl]

10:12 PM on 11/13/2010

Not all willfully ignorant and antisocial people are white.

[conservo]

02:25 PM on 11/14/2010

Now you know if you were saying that about Obama you would be branded a racist-----hypocricy? I think so.

[mmsuki]

11:45 AM on 11/15/2010

There are black candidates who are radically far right, like West.

[BrightSideofLife]

03:28 PM on 11/13/2010

Ignorance Is Truth - The Tea Party and Earmarks!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIerq-cCltM

[buckfushlv]

02:14 PM on 11/13/2010

The Republicans have become very good at this. HIS incoming (for about 2 minutes)chief-of-staff basically said thet if ballots don't work bullets will and that she was going to set off to form militias if the vote doesn't go "their" way. When those clips are played, West et al become the righteous victims. So it is NOT that she said them, it is that the left found them and made her look like a gun-toting idiot and that is just too mean.



Move over Michelle Bachmann, Louie Gohmert, Joe Wilson, Ron Paul, Randy Neubeurger, Dana Rohrbacher, Steve King, and all the other Republican crazies currently serving in Congress - your place as the nuttiest member of the House has clearly been lost (with no contest) to Allen West. And my bet is that not even any members of incoming tea bagger caucus will be able to give this guy a run for his money.

He's going to have to end up with much better district lines and a real weak opponent if he is going to be re-elected in 2012 after shooting his mouth off for 2 years of paranoid right wing fantasies
I have noticed frequently that the Republicans are masters of playing victims. Sadly, it works. Sarah Palin is a pro at this. Rand Paul just did it with Eliot Spitzer, Christine O'Donnell did it. More sadly than their doing it is that the Tea Baggers keep falling for it.

[TheInconvenientTruth]

08:38 AM on 11/13/2010

Sell out...

[Beyrak]

04:18 PM on 11/13/2010

I knew I would find one of these absurd comments.

[Dan Stewart]

08:31 AM on 11/13/2010

Doubtless this TPer will turn out to be gay.

[MitchelleWS]

08:18 AM on 11/13/2010

What an embarrassment that the seat once held by Dante Fascell, who worked hard to build respect for newly immigrated Cuban population in his district -- that this seat is now held by someone with such contempt for the American military and our political process.

[bong-o-boy]

06:56 PM on 11/12/2010

hahahahahahaha

bagger!


hahahahahahaha

[kvolovesart]

01:17 PM on 11/12/2010

I live in South Florida and Kaufman's ego is out of control. West aligned himself with her awhile ago and I new it was a mistake. The fact that he chose her, shows he makes poor choices. He will regret joining forces with Kaufman because she has a voice on the radio and she is mad as hell. She feels she is a complete victim in this and has taken ZERO responsibilty for her statements. She feels this is a personal attack on her. Her video that was all over the news this week caused the entire school district to be on lock down all day Wednesday. Does she feel bad about this? Not at all. That is scary to me and shameful.

[pomegrante]

02:13 PM on 11/12/2010

Agree kvo. Faved.

[Cedman]

07:33 PM on 11/12/2010

what's the connection with her and the school district going on lock down?

[Nelle]

12:58 PM on 11/12/2010

Mr. Allen West. You've got to get a new haircut. The Fade went out in the '90s!

[ZenSufi]

12:32 PM on 11/13/2010

The Fade never went out. It just faded away.

[pomegrante]

01:17 PM on 11/12/2010

What? He alledgedly was an abuser . That's on his military record.

[editorjuno]

07:01 PM on 11/12/2010

Yeah, he's regular Ollie North -- and that's the problem.

[wmramlal]

12:16 PM on 11/12/2010

The mere fact that he would align himself with this type of person is disgraceful, however, some of his comments have been reprehensible as well.

What in GOD's name were people thinking when they voted him into office.

[barnowl]

10:15 PM on 11/13/2010

or Rick Scott. Oh, yeah. This is Florida.

[NVBlue]

12:32 PM on 11/12/2010

"It's Not FAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

[Rich Baska]

01:18 PM on 11/12/2010

You're somewhat correct. Race is not the primary issue. Extremism is the issue and this candidate proves that the crazier the candidate is, the better it is for the Tea Party. Extremism trumps all, even racial prejudice.

[RockyMissouri]

02:13 PM on 11/12/2010

Fanned for utter and absolute TRUTH....thank you for speaking it..!

[kareemachan]

11:47 AM on 11/12/2010

Good. The less racist bigots in DC, the better for all of us.