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.

Story Continued Below

“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.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), chair of the DNC, also condemned Bundy’s comments on Twitter, writing: “Cliven Bundy’s comments are abhorrent and should be condemned immediately by all sides.”

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus denounced the remarks, saying in a statement: “Bundy’s comments are completely beyond the pale. Both highly offensive and 100 percent wrong on race.”

The chairman also said in separate comments that he doesn’t anticipate that the statements by the Nevada rancher will have any impact on Las Vegas’s chance to host the 2016 Republican National Convention.

“The convention decisions are made in pretty much a vacuum,” he said on the “Coffee and Markets” podcast. “No matter where you fall on this issue, with regard to this land out in Nevada, I don’t think it has anything to do with whether Las Vegas is a worthy place for a convention.”