Actor and Republican candidate Antonio Sabato Jr. said he has suffered similar treatment to Sarah Huckabee Sanders, after she was ejected from a restaurant.

The White House press secretary claimed she was asked to leave the Red Hen in Lexington, Virginia, because she is a member of the Trump administration.

Sabato Jr, who is running for the House in California's 26th congressional district in the November midterms, said it was 'Communism all over again', referring to the way suspected Soviet sympathizers were treated in the 1950s.

Calling the treatment of Sanders 'disgusting', he said: 'I know more than anybody else because I’ve been through it and I’m still going through it,' the New York Post reported.

Actor and House candidate Antonio Sabato Jr (pictured) said he had been 'blacklisted' after he went to the 2016 GOP convention to speak in support of then-candidate Donald Trump

Sabato Jr said his agent and managers had 'all gone' after he spoke in support of Trump at the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio.

The GOP candidate told the newspaper that he had been 'blacklisted' and compared the treatment to that of alleged Communists in the early Cold War.

He also claimed there were others in the TV and film industry in deep-blue California who said they were 'very scared' to admit they support President Trump.

Describing the episode on Twitter, Sanders said of the restaurant manager: 'Her actions say far more about her than about me.

The Red Hen restaurant in Lexington, Virginia, where White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked to leave

'I always do my best to treat people, including those I disagree with, respectfully and will continue to do so.'

But a former ethics chief suggested that her use of the official @PressSec Twitter account to bring up the issue was a 'clear violation' of federal rules.

Walter Shaub was referring to a section of the law that says government employees can't use their public position for private gain.

He said: 'It's the same as if an ATF agent pulled out his badge when a restaurant tried to throw him/her out.'

Sarah Huckabee Sanders (pictured) said she was asked to leave the restaurant and said of the restaurant manager: 'Her actions say far more about her than about me'

Stephanie Wilkinson, the restaurant's owner, said she took a staff vote before asking Sanders to leave, the Washington Post reported.

A review page for The Red Hen on Yelp has been inundated with one- and five- star reviews from supporters and critics, the restaurant's score down to 2.5 stars.

Meanwhile a restaurant with the same name in New Jersey has received at least 600 phone about the incident.

The Red Hen in Swedesboro, NJ, wrote on Facebook: 'Kindly check your facts before you erroneously defame an innocent business on Facebook in an attempt to destroy their business where they welcome all, irrespective of their race, religion, views or opinions.'