Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey offered a harsh criticism of Utah Sen. Bob Bennett when asked about the outgoing Senator's role within the Republican Party in an interview with National Review Online last week.
"Senator Bennett has had his time," said Armey of the GOP lawmaker, who was kicked off his party's primary ballot earlier this year. "He had a chance, for example, to stand up for the Constitution that he swore allegiance to [by voting against the Troubled Asset Relief Program]. His failure to do that upset the voters of his state."
Armey, who serves as Chairman of Freedomworks, a Tea Party organizing group, endorsed now-U.S. Senate candidate Mike Lee in his primary campaign to oust Bennett from his post. In explaining his decision to support the Tea Party-backed challenger, he said, "Certainly the incumbent, Sen. Bennett, has given us our pause over the course of the past few years... We've had one disappointing vote after another."
Armey warned Republican lawmakers last week that they risk being targeted by the Tea Party if they don't get with the program. "The issue of public policy that governs the future of my children is more important than your politics, and if you can't see that, we'll replace you," he said.
As for Bennett, the three-term incumbent recently said, "As I look out at the political landscape now, I find plenty of slogans on the Republican side, but not very many ideas... The concern I have is that ideology and a demand for absolute party purity endangers our ability to govern once we get into office."
WATCH: Dick Armey Shares His Take On Outgoing GOP Sen. Bob Bennett
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