Allen West: I've 'Heard' 80 House Democrats Are Communist Party Members (UPDATE)

WASHINGTON -- As many as 80 House Democrats are communists, according to Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.).

West warned constituents at a Tuesday town hall event that he's "heard" that dozens of his Democratic colleagues in the House are members of the Communist Party, the Palm Beach Post reported. There are currently 190 House Democrats.

West spokeswoman Angela Melvin later defended West's comments -- and clarified to whom West was referring.

"The Congressman was referring to the 76 members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. The Communist Party has publicly referred to the Progressive Caucus as its allies. The Progressive Caucus speaks for itself. These individuals certainly aren't proponents of free markets or individual economic freedom," Melvin said in a statement to The Huffington Post.

West's campaign also sent over the transcript of the actual exchange that took place during the town hall to show that West was asked directly about the role of communists in the House.

Moderator: What percentage of the American legislature do you think are card-carrying Marxists or International Socialist?

West: It's a good question. I believe there's about 78 to 81 members of the Democrat Party who are members of the Communist Party. It's called the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Some members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus confirmed that they are not, in fact, members of the Communist Party.

"I can confirm that Congresswoman Baldwin is not a communist," said Jerilyn Goodman, spokeswoman for Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), a vice chair of the caucus.

"Chellie is a Democrat, a farmer and a Lutheran but no, she is not a Communist," said Willy Ritch, spokesman for Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), also a vice chair of the caucus.

During the same event, which took place at Jensen Beach, the freshman Republican said President Barack Obama wouldn't have a public debate with him over their policy differences because he was "scared." The president was in Florida on Tuesday giving remarks about the economy and holding campaign events.

"I really wish that, standing here before you, was Allen West and President Obama," West said, according to the Palm Beach Post. "We could have a simple discussion. But that ain't ever gonna happen."

When an audience member asked why, West said in "a mocking voice" that it was because Obama "was too scared."

WATCH West's comments in the video above.

UPDATE: 5:30 p.m. -- Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) later criticized West's "outrageous" claims.

"Calling fellow Members of Congress 'communists' is reminiscent of the days when Joe McCarthy divided Americans with name-calling and modern-day witch hunts that don't advance policies to benefit people's lives," Grijalva and Ellison said in a joint statement. "We hope the people of Florida's 22nd Congressional District will note that he repeatedly polarizes the American people instead of focusing on their interests."

CORRECTION: A previous version of this post stated that West made the remarks at Florida Atlantic University. He made the statement at Jensen Beach.

Related on HuffPost:

Comments

[Jay Crowder]

08:41 PM on 02/09/2013

I believe Allen West was right, that most democrats are communists.

[mari2JJ]

08:51 PM on 03/15/2013

Actually my cousins in Florida insist they have the proof that West is a Nazi. That sounds about as reliable as West's bogus communist charge. Poor Rep. West is such a silly person who shoots off his mouth first and gets the faces, it ever, far too late. He blabs these insane comments and then expects us to take his comments literally, No sentient person could do that. Rep. West.

[Dee Dee2]

12:58 AM on 10/08/2012

LIAR!

[sarahsam2]

06:09 PM on 09/28/2012

Entitlists and Socialists and Commies, oh my! Entitlists and Socialists and Commies, oh my! Entitlists and Socialists and Commies, oh my! Entitlists and Socialists and Commies, oh my!

I guess it's more catchy than "Ryan! Ryan! Ryan! ...oh yeah and Romney"

Can we send them back to Kansas now?

[Pappa]

09:22 PM on 08/27/2012

Hello my Republican brethren’s! Pappa is here to help you decide how many commies are in the U.S. Government. Note that I did not say “card-carrying members of the communist party,” because it would sound too much like Joe McCarthy, bless his heart. I reviewed your briefing indicating that your members are not adhering to the Republican guidelines signifying the number of commies in the U.S. From what I gather, Allen West is saying there are 80, and Michele Bachmann thinks there are no communist in China, but sees Al-Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood all over the place. Your problem is troubling, but not unredeemable. OK, Brother McCarthy said there are 205 commies in the government. But he didn’t get away with it because that was too many. We can’t say 57, because when he used it, the Democrats figured out the number came from a catsup bottle. Didn’t Chuck Todd say the Soup of the Day at the White House was 15 beans?

[methodman]

05:33 PM on 06/12/2012

Democrats fear the truth from our whoopie cushion West. They hate People; Corporations are people. Those who don['t support our deserving one percent are the communists. Like those people who hate Citizens United. They is communist. Like the folks who dun seen them pictures of Rocky Flats. All them peopa who think the FBI and EPA workin together and revealed those pictures It was a Photoshop conspiracy I tell you. Communists. Corporations have a right to privacy and the people who ask questions are the communists. Proud Bagger.

[Brett Schnaper]

10:27 PM on 05/16/2012

i heard allen west is a bed wetter.

[Valmiki2]

12:28 PM on 07/04/2012

I heard Maubama is a bed dumper

[t76er]

11:23 PM on 05/01/2012

Three reasons why Congressman Allen West (R-FLA) would claim that as many as 80 House Democrats are devoted Communist. #1 To keep his constituents juice up on FEAR,HATE and IGNORANCE. #2 Tokens must obey and comply with Republican leadership at all times. #3 Profit before conviction. I would suggest to Allen West to cut that FLAT TOP OFF before you say anything about anybody !!!!!

[Midnight Cry]

07:16 PM on 04/23/2012

You might go to http://theobamahustle.wordpress.com/2012/03/27/socialist-party-of-america-releases-the-names-of-70-democrat-members-of-congress-who-are-members-of-their-caucus/
to see if if your Congressman is a member ofthe Socialist Party.

[Chandler Windham]

08:32 PM on 04/21/2012

What a TOM!

[RepublicanDepression]

10:17 PM on 04/19/2012

LOL! So many supporters of the GOP (Greedy One Percent) defending West's claims, and not ONE can PROVE IT!

LOL!

GOP FAIL!

More proof:

Conservative Politics, 'Low-Effort' Thinking Linked In New Study

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/07/conservative-politics-low-effort-thinking_n_1410448.html?ref=mostpopular

[gkrtmozart]

08:09 PM on 04/22/2012

I can only 'prove' one: That would be Bernie Sanders from Vermont. But Mr Sanders IS a member of the 'Progressive Caucus' Hmmmm

If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and declares itself a duck, maybe it IS a duck and likes to hang out with other ducks . . . .

[RepublicanDepression]

09:22 PM on 04/23/2012

I challenged supporters of the GOP (Greedy One Percent) to PROVE West's bogus claim:

Allen "Military Justice Violator" West: "I believe there's about 78 to 81 members of the Democrat Party who are members of the Communist Party."

gkrtmozart: “I can only 'prove' one: That would be Bernie Sanders from Vermont."

WRONG!

Sanders is NOT a Democrat!

Wikipedia: Bernie Sanders "does not belong to a formal political party, he appears as an independent on the ballot."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Sanders

gkrtmozart FAIL!

You FAIL to prove what you claimed you could prove!

Since you are provably WRONG, where do you get your news?

[jaxguy]

11:06 AM on 05/02/2012

Sanders actually gives a crap about people.So that makes him a communist?

[Bill LeeMaster]

01:17 PM on 07/17/2012

If you rely upon or believe anything printed in the Huffington Post or any other MSM arm of the DNC, you may have inadvertently become part of the problem instead of the solution to America's current problems. This country cannot support all the social "Fix-it" programs the POTUS is trying to implement...you could tax the 1%'ers (and don't forget that Obama is one of them) at 100% and you'd still have a shortfall...WTF is wrong with that picture??? Do you have a clue???

[RepublicanDepression]

10:31 PM on 07/17/2012

Bill LeeMaster: "If you rely upon or believe anything printed in the Huffington Post"

1) Congratulations on your FAIL to actually READ. The HP article is about legitimate science from the journal "Psychological Science." Bill LeeMaster FAIL!

Bill LeeMaster: "... or any other MSM arm of the DNC"

2) Prove that the so-called mainstream media is an "arm of the DNC" with facts or you FAIL!

Bill LeeMaster: "This country cannot support all the social "Fix-it" programs the POTUS is trying to implement"

3) Obama is reducing the deficit left by your Bush, so you FAIL!

Bill LeeMaster: "...you could tax the 1%'ers"

4) No one has suggested that. Why do you think that CUTTING TAXES on the super-rich during a time of multiple wars and deficits was a good idea under your Bush?

5) Why do you think MORE of their taxes should be cut during time of war and deficit, as per the Romney plan?

I bet you FAIL to honestly answer all that.

[hillvoter]

10:59 AM on 04/19/2012

It's hard to believe that anyone has the guts this man has. In this day of character destruction in the media, for anyone who speaks the truth in public is an invitation to be ridiculed. Go congressman West! Thank you. Read the communist manifesto read 'The naked communist'. Unfortunately, they change the words and the meaning of words. When a name becomes a liability they change it. The new moniker is Progressive.

[RepublicanDepression]

10:03 PM on 04/19/2012

Prove "the truth" Hillvoter. With actual facts. Or FAIL!

Did you put a lot of "effort" into "thinking" that up?

Conservative Politics, 'Low-Effort' Thinking Linked In New Study

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/07/conservative-politics-low-effort-thinking_n_1410448.html?ref=mostpopular

LOL!

[Trentonjordan]

07:34 PM on 04/18/2012

This man is the reincarnation of Anthony Johnson. If you do not know who he is, click the link and it will be self explanatory

http://cofcc.org/2012/03/Anthony Johnson

[Howie Sheinfeld]

03:16 PM on 04/19/2012

Anthony Johnson is regarded by several sources to have been the first slaveholder in the American colonies. Johnson was, himself, black. Personally, I draw a parallel between Allen West and Senator Joe McCarthy who 60 years ago ranted about how everyone in officialdom was a communist. He was eventually censured by his colleagues. I am in the midst of drafting a letter to my (Republican) congressman suggesting that he propose similar treatment for Mr. West.

[mbrahms26]

12:19 PM on 04/18/2012

West is right. The Democrats have always been communists, as evidenced by their embrace of slavery in the antebellum south. Slavery is communism and Stalin was an admirer of the Confederacy and based the Gulag on it. Wilson and FDR were both communists. Wilson supported the Bolsheivks in Russia and FDR allied the USA with his goombahs Mao and Stalin in WWII. Obama and the Democrats in Congress all all pro-Marxist and want to destroy the USA and turn it into a slave colony. There will be ciivl war in the USA if Obama is reelected.

[Pavel Malus]

06:21 PM on 04/18/2012

... Rather sophistic....or ironically ...moronic...??

[Will737]

01:44 PM on 04/19/2012

Reminds me of my paranoid schizophrenic mother-in-law whent she hadn't taken her meds.

Slavery, that institution of conservatives, mixed with slander about Wilson and FDR is really tin-foil hat stuff.

Obama will be re-elected. There will be no civil war. Only lunatic incompetent militia members think there will be civil war.

[mbrahms26]

09:36 AM on 04/20/2012

Take your pick!

[hillvoter]

11:02 AM on 04/19/2012

Wilson and FDR both imprisoned Americans in camps without charges and simply because of their race or heritage. It is well documented in history and can't be denied.

[Nick Gisburne]

10:45 AM on 04/23/2012

Just like Bush and Obama with Guantanamo Bay then.

[CroCan]

01:29 AM on 04/18/2012

Thank you Mr "Do Nothing" Allen West.
Maybe you should draw the focus away from the selfish gains of yourself and your party and do something useful in Congress to help US economy.

Or maybe you could try using your famous interrogation techniques perfected in Iraq on Democrats in Congress? Then I am sure all of them would confess to be communists.

[Lorenzeau]

05:50 PM on 04/17/2012

Allen just passes on what the voices tell him. Say hello to the War on Sanity.

[Howie Sheinfeld]

03:27 PM on 04/19/2012

At the moment, the lead voice in his cerebral chorus is that of the late Senator Joe McCarthy who, in the early 1950s, ran around accusing everyone in Government of being a communist.

[Valmiki2]

12:32 PM on 07/04/2012

He was right. After the Democratic Rosenberg spies there was a lot of Reds running around. Now, they wear green.