A Montana state lawmaker who said that the Constitution allows for Americans to jail or shoot people for being socialists is refusing to resign after calls from party leadership.

The Associated Press reported that state Rep. Rodney Garcia (R) refused calls from state party leaders including the Speaker of the Montana House of Representatives and the state House majority leader to resign his seat after making the claim at a party event on Friday, and later doubled down in an interview.

“Your reckless and un-American remarks are beneath that of a public official and do not represent the values of the Republican Party, Montana House of Representatives or the people of our great state,” several state lawmakers wrote to Garcia in a letter obtained by the AP.

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“Your actions have irreparably undermined the body in which you serve and irrevocably broken the trust of those you were elected to represent. We believe it is clear that you can no longer effectively discharge the duties of the office you hold; therefore, it is our request that you submit your resignation with immediate effect," the letter continues.

Garcia told the AP that he believes that the Constitution's treason clause in Article III allows for the jailing or killing of "enemies" of the U.S., which he believed to mean socialists. His statements come at a time when a front-runner for the Democratic Party's 2020 nomination, Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersSenate Republicans signal openness to working with Biden Hillicon Valley: DOJ indicts Chinese, Malaysian hackers accused of targeting over 100 organizations | GOP senators raise concerns over Oracle-TikTok deal | QAnon awareness jumps in new poll Schumer, Sanders call for Senate panel to address election security MORE (I-Vt.), identifies as a democratic socialist.

“They can ask me to step down, but, no, I don’t think so,” Garcia told the AP. “I’m going to run for the Senate and I’m going to win. People are going to have to eat their words.”

In a statement to The Washington Post, the executive director of Montana's Republican Party also condemned Garcia's remarks.

“Under no circumstance is violence against someone with opposing political views acceptable,” Spenser Merwin said.