U.S. Sens. Rand Paul and Dean Heller, two Republicans who have expressed their support for Cliven Bundy, came out to criticize the Nevada rancher for his choice comments made to The New York Times.
Both senators issued statements slamming Bundy for being "offensive" and "racist."
"His remarks on race are offensive and I wholeheartedly disagree with him," Paul said in his statement.
"Senator Heller completely disagrees with Mr. Bundy's appalling and racist statements, and condemns them in the most strenuous way," a spokesman said, according to Business Insider.
In the NYT interview, published on Wednesday night, Bundy allegedly used the word "negro" while wondering if black people were better off as slaves.
"They abort their young children, they put their young men in jail, because they never learned how to pick cotton," Bundy said, according to the Times. "And I've often wondered, are they better off as slaves, picking cotton and having a family life and doing things, or are they better off under government subsidy? They didn't get no more freedom. They got less freedom."
After Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) initially called Bundy and his supporters "domestic violent terrorist wannabees," Heller responded by calling them "patriots."
In an interview with a Kentucky radio station, Paul claimed the federal government was acting too intimidating in the standoffs.
"The federal government shouldn't violate the law, nor should we have 48 federal agencies carrying weapons and having SWAT teams," he told the station.
