Black Caucus 'Furious' Over GOP Rep. West's Email to Dem Party Chief

Black Caucus 'Furious' Over GOP Rep. West's Email to Dem Party Chief

Published July 20, 2011 | FoxNews.com

The head of the Congressional Black Caucus told Fox News on Wednesday that members are "furious" about the incendiary email Rep. Allen West sent to the Democratic party chairwoman, saying he's going to speak with the Florida Republican about the matter.

"It's unfortunate," Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., said. He could not say whether the CBC would seek to discipline its only Republican member, but claimed lawmakers were upset the incident has brought "undue attention" to the caucus.

West fired off an email Tuesday to Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, calling her "vile, despicable and cowardly" for calling into question his stance on Medicare on the House floor.

The CBC was planning to discuss the email at its weekly meeting Wednesday, but votes got in the way and the caucus now plans to discuss the issue at a later date.

In the meantime, Cleaver said, "I'm going to talk to him."

Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., another member of the CBC, said he was "shocked" to see the language West had employed.