Republican Sens. Rand Paul and Dean Heller on Thursday both denounced as �offensive� and �racist� Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy�s recent comments about African-Americans.

�His remarks on race are offensive and I wholeheartedly disagree with him,� Paul said in a statement, according to Business Insider.
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�Senator Heller completely disagrees with Mr. Bundy�s appalling and racist statements, and condemns them in the most strenuous way,� Heller spokeswoman Chandler Smith said in a statement.

Both Paul and Heller have previously defended Bundy, the Nevada rancher who is in a standoff against the federal government. Heller has referred to his supporters as �patriots.�

(Also on POLITICO: Rand Paul makes a muddle)

But on Thursday, The New York Times reported Bundy using the word �Negro� and wondering if blacks 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 over the weekend, 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.�

Appearing on �CBS This Morning� on Thursday, Texas Gov. Rick Perry said he hadn�t seen Bundy�s comments. The Republican called Bundy a �side story� in the greater issue of how the federal government deals with public and private land.

Fox News host Greta Van Susteren on Thursday released a statement on her official blog: �Let me make this plain: I condemn what Cliven Bundy said about African Americans.� Van Susteren has devoted significant time on her program to the Bundy issue, interviewing both Paul and Carol Bundy, Cliven�s wife.

(Also on POLITICO: Bundy and BLM: 10 things to know)

�Morning Joe� co-host and former GOP Rep. Joe Scarborough on his program Thursday morning slammed Bundy and Republicans who have embraced him. He said that Bundy is demanding �a right that no other rancher in America has.�

The host appeared to be equally upset with conservatives that have championed Bundy over the course of the past few weeks. �There�s nothing conservative about this man,� Scarborough said. �This is where nihilism about the federal government gets you in trouble every time.�

Comparing Bundy to George Zimmerman, Scarborough continued: �They basically pick their friends based on who their �enemies� are. In this case, a lot of people in conservative media have raced to this guy�s defense. They must be feeling very exposed this morning.�

Mo Elleithee, communications director for the Democratic National Committee, took to Twitter to criticize Paul for what he thought was a slow response. �So @SenRandPaul took 12 hours to condemn Bundy�s racist rant. 12 hours. I dunno about him, but my outrage was pretty instant,� Elleithee wrote.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2014/04/rand-paul-dean-heller-cliven-bundy-105982.html#ixzz2zouCoOui