Fox News contributor Pete Hegseth said on Friday that James Carville is justified in criticizing his Democratic counterpart Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., whose leftist socialist policies are dividing the Democratic Party.

“There has to be panic in the Democratic Party because [Sanders is] the frontrunner. I mean, James Carville was an operative in the party of Bill Clinton, all of which who we believed and knew to be a liberal, but not a lock, stock and barrel leftist who hates capitalism and hates America,” Hegseth told “Fox & Friends.”

Hegseth said that Carville -- who has an extensive history with the Democratic Party -- has “seen every iteration of the party.”

JAMES CARVILLE EMBRACES SANDERS' 'POLITICAL HACK' LABEL: 'AT LEAST I'M NOT A COMMUNIST'

“He’s terrified because the party of JFK, the party of capitalism, the party of anti-Communist. JFK fought the Communists as ferociously as anybody. [The party] has been taken over by a guy who in the 80’s talked all about how great the Soviet Union was, how great Cuba was, how wonderful those places are. He still talks that way today and he wants to be president,” he said.

Carville has said that he agrees with Sanders' assessment of him as a "political hack," adding that he'd rather be a hack than a "communist" like the senator from Vermont.

Carville's comments were the latest salvo in a feud that began over the weekend when he attacked Sanders' policies and said he was "scared to death" of his success in Iowa's Democratic caucuses. Sanders, I-Vt., responded by telling CNN: "Look, James, in all due respect, is a political hack who said very terrible things when he was working for Clinton against Barack Obama."

Vanity Fair contributor Peter Hamby tweeted Thursday that he had spoken on the phone with Carville, who told him: "Last night on CNN, Bernie called me a political hack. That's exactly who the f--k I am! I am a political hack!

"I am not an ideologue," Carville reportedly added. "I am not a purist. He thinks it's a pejorative. I kinda like it! At least I'm not a communist!"

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But Hegseth said the energy inside the Democratic Party is with Sanders, particularly from young people.

“Bernie is the soul of the Democratic Party. You see the young people who have been indoctrinated in our government schools. He represents what they believe and have been told,” Hegseth said.

Fox News’ Sam Dorman contributed to this report.