WASHINGTON — Republican Rep. Allen West said he believes at least 76 Democrats in Congress, all but one in the House, are Communist Party members, a claim that echoes Joe McCarthy’s unsubstantiated 1950s charges that communists had infiltrated the top ranks of the U.S. government.
Addressing a town-hall meeting Tuesday in Florida, the freshman lawmaker was asked how many members of Congress are “card-carrying Marxists.” West said that “about 78 to 81 members of the Democratic Party … are members of the Communist Party.” He did not provide names.
West’s office said the congressman stood by the comments and was referring to the 76 members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the largest group within the House Democratic caucus.
“The Communist Party has publicly referred to the Progressive Caucus as its allies,” said West spokeswoman Angela Melvin. “These individuals certainly aren’t proponents of free markets or individual economic freedom.”
West’s office cited a 2010 article on health care in a Communist Party USA publication that described the Progressive Caucus and Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., as allies of the party but not members
Reps. Raul M. Grijalva, D-Ariz., and Keith Ellison, D-Minn., the co-chairs of the caucus, rejected West’s claim.
“Allen West is denigrating the millions of Americans who voted to elect Congressional Progressive Caucus members, and he is ignoring the oath they took to protect and defend the U.S. Constitution — just like he did,” the two said in a statement.
The caucus describes its goals as economic fairness, civil rights, environmental protection, energy independence and global security.
