Citing heavy flak over her if-not-ballots-bullets remark shown on a YouTube video, Joyce Kaufman, the fiery conservative talk-show host picked to be Allen West's chief of staff, announced Thursday she will not be taking the job with the newly elected congressman.
"It is of deep regret that Congressional District 22 will not have Joyce Kaufman to kick around anymore."
She made the announcement during her radio program just days, even hours, after reports surfaced about comments she made at an Allen West rally during the campaign.
I dont care how this gets painted by the mainstream media, I dont care if this shows up on YouTube, because I am convinced the most important thing the Founding Fathers did to ensure me my First Amendment rights was, they gave me a Second Amendment," Kaufman said during the rally. "And if ballots dont work, bullets will.
MSNBCs liberal talk-show host Rachel Maddow picked up the clip for her program Tuesday night.
Within minutes of the story being published online atpostonpolitics.com Thursday, the YouTube video was "removed by user." Another clip with Kaufman's comments from Maddow's show is still available on YouTube.
The day after it aired on Maddow, local media reported Kaufman had received death threats over her comments.
"They tried to paint me as a crazy person who wanted to storm Washington," she said. "Give me a break, we did storm Washington and nobody had to be armed."
Kaufman told reporters she wasn't suggesting people take up arms if West lost the election, but only if the ability to vote was taken away. She also said she never 'incited violence.'
"I was in the crosshairs -- well, actually, Congressman-elect Allen West was in the crosshairs, and I was in-between. I not only stepped out of the way, but I knocked the rifle out of their hands for a while."
Kaufman also indicated she came to the decision "as a revelation" Wednesday night, and after talking about the issue with her children.
"They said, 'Mom, this is probably the best thing that could have happened,'" she said.
Phone calls and an e-mail to West's office have not been returned. But during the last hour of Kaufman's program, West called into the show, telling listeners he is committed to Kaufman and to the people of Florida.
"I want people to know," West said, "especially those on the liberal left, that I am even more committed, even more focused on making sure this ... viably despicable machine is brought to its knees." He did not explain precisely what the "despicable machine" is.
Kaufman also made it clear on her program that "nobody asked [her] to leave."
"I warned [West] last night," said Kaufman on her radio program. "I said, 'you just make sure you find somebody who's got your back, and preferably someone who doesn't have a lot of YouTube videos saying outrageous things.'"
Lane Wright can be reached at lane@sunshinestatenews.com or 561-247-1063.
