Texas Tea Party Congressman and racist caveman, Louie Gohmert, is one of the most hateful Republicans to occupy a seat in the House of Representatives and on Wednesday he demonstrated why that is. During a House Judiciary Committee hearing regarding H.R. 1493, a bill that may significantly delay federal regulatory actions from being implemented, Gohmert compared African-Americans to animals and insects.

Democratic Reps. Steve Cohen and John Conyers offered an amendment “that would have prohibited third parties from intervening in any regulatory action that prevents or is intended to prevent discrimination on the basis of race, sex, national origin, or other protected characteristic. Consent decrees had been pivotal to enforcing civil rights laws,” according to ThinkProgress.

That’s when longtime racist Louie Gohmert just couldn’t stand keeping his mouth shut any longer. Democrats were trying to protect minorities and Gohmert would have none of it. And in his effort to object to the amendment, Gohmert proceeded to put his foot in his mouth by comparing civil rights for African-Americans to animal rights.

“There is nobody in this chamber who is more appreciative than I am for the gentleman from Tennessee and my friend from Michigan standing up for the rights of race, religion, national religion of the Delta Smelt, the snail darter, various lizards, the lesser prairie chicken, the greater sage grouts and so many other insects who would want someone standing for their religion, their race, their national origin and I think that’s wonderful.”

Here’s the video:

Wow. Just, wow. Not only did Gohmert compare African-Americans to animals, he compared them to bugs, small reptiles, and chickens. You just know he wanted to compare them to monkeys and dogs too. Gohmert’s remarks drew outrage from Democrats who quickly condemned his words.

Gohmert has a long and sordid history of racism. He also has a long history of being an idiot too. In October 2012, Gohmert actually complained about the end of slavery in America because he thinks we’re not as close to God as we supposedly were when slavery was legal. This past April, Gohmert showed his racism and idiocy once again when he couldn’t tell the difference between Arabs and Hispanics. Seriously.

Oh, but that’s not all. Gohmert is also a brainless, insensitive jerk to women as well. During a committee hearing on an anti-abortion bill in May, Gohmert told a woman she should have carried her brain dead fetus to term instead of terminating her pregnancy to prevent the needless suffering after birth. And this is just the tip of a giant iceberg of all the moronic, racist, and insensitive comments Gohmert has made in all his time as a congressman.

Like Michele Bachmann on the Intelligence Committee, one has to wonder how in the hell Gohmert is on the Judiciary Committee when it is clear that he has the IQ of a deer tick and the racism of someone who clearly belongs in Civil War-era Texas. Worse yet, Gohmert and his racism are on the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties as well. Why is a man who opposes civil rights and civil liberties for everyone except white men on such a committee? It’s just astounding. It’s amazing that Gohmert even made it through his military service. Of course, he served as part of the Judge Advocate General Corps, but if he had been in the battlefield, he’d be focused more on his problem with the color, gender, and sexual orientation of his squad members than on the enemies shooting at him.

Unfortunately, there isn’t anything in the Constitution that says complete idiots can’t be in Congress. If there were, Gohmert would be among the first Republicans to go. Comparing African-Americans to animals is beyond wrong and proves how racism is deeply rooted in Republican Party politics. Clearly, racism is not over in America as the GOP claims because it’s not even over in their party or in Congress.