Rep. Allen West: "Yeah, I Meant It When I Said That Joseph Goebbels Would Love The Democrats' Propaganda"

Rep. West is side-eyeing the Democrats

The conservative Republican Congressman is embroiled in yet another controversy, but he ain't backing down. From Newsday: "A Florida Republican congressman who likened Democrats' opinion shaping to the efforts of Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels defended his comment Friday as criticism mounted. U.S. Rep. Allen West, a freshman, made the Nazi reference Thursday when asked about Congress' approval ratings and the blame that the public has apparently assigned to Republicans. 'If Joseph Goebbels was around, he'd be very proud of the Democrat Party because they have an incredible propaganda machine,' West said, according to Politico, the Arlington, Va.-based news organization that first reported the comments. Goebbels was Adolf Hitler's propaganda minister."

The article continues: "West represents a South Florida district that has an influential Jewish constituency and a sizeable population of Holocaust survivors. He told reporters, in his remarks at the Capitol, that he was comparing Democrats to Nazi propaganda, not the Nazis themselves, but that did little to quell controversy."

More: "West, one of two new black Republicans to join the 112th Congress this year, is a tea party favorite who has repeatedly drawn attention for off-the-cuff comments. He defended his latest remarks, saying through a spokeswoman that twisting his comments was "a perfect example" of what he was talking about. 'Congressman West was referring to the 'lies, deception and manipulation' coming from the Democrat propaganda machine and comparing that to the same misinformation coming from Goebbels during World War II,' spokeswoman Angela Sachitano said."