Rep. Charlie Rangel (D., N.Y.) said the Republicans are the party of the Ku Klux Klan during an interview Monday on MSNBC.
Rangel, a supporter of Hillary Clinton, said the country was seeing the dissolution of the Republican Party with its current inner strife.
"We are seeing the end of the Republican Party as we know it, a party that has the Ku Klux Klan, has the Tea Party, the Freedom Party, and this used to be the Party of Lincoln, and we're seeing it fall apart," Rangel said.
The racist organization was founded in the Reconstruction era by southern whites, many of whom were Democrats, and it committed acts of murder, intimidation and other violence against blacks. While the organization still exists, its numbers are greatly depleted compared to its heyday.
The longtime New York congressman made the remarks to Andrea Mitchell after he touted Clinton's experience and Mitchell asked why Bernie Sanders' populist platform was resonating more with people.
"Are we moving forward fast enough? Heck no. Is anyone satisfied the way the economy is? I hope not," Rangel said. "Black folks have been looking for justice in this country. We got Obama, are we satisfied? Heck no. If there's someone out there screaming we should have another black president, I'm not saying don't scream. All I'm saying is that realistically, we have to realize things have to be done."
Clinton leads Sanders in the New York primary polls heading into Tuesday's vote.