In an interview with a Florida newspaper, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) cracked a joke about Rep. Allen West's (R-Fla.) trademark rhetoric, joking that while there aren't communists in Congress, there are "commie pinko liberals."
"I'm a great admirer of his," McCain said. "I appreciate his service to the country. He brings a significant military experience to the Congress. He's outspoken, but he loves his country with a passion and he served it with honor."
When asked about West's claim that he's "heard" that 80 congressional Democrats are communists, McCain laughed off the notion.
"I think he knows that's not an accurate statement," McCain said. "There are commie pinko liberals there, but not communists. By the way, that's a joke."
In his first term in Congress, West has become notorious for his fiery rhetoric and outlandish statements. In July, West accused Obama of wanting to make America "his slave." He's also criticized Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) as "vile" and not ladylike, said that Nazis would be "proud of" the Democratic "propaganda machine," and warned that the U.S. might prompt a "second Holocaust" by not adequately protecting Israel.
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