Story highlights Bass said she wants to give one of her GOP colleagues "a history lesson"

She plans to "sit down and talk to him about the McCarthy era"

(CNN) A Democratic congresswoman says she wants to give one of her Republican colleagues "a history lesson" after he faced criticism for demanding a "purge" at the FBI and Justice Department, warning that it brings back memories of McCarthyism during the Cold War.

During an interview on CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront," California Democratic Rep. Karen Bass, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, told Pamela Brown that it was "very frightening" that Florida GOP Rep. Francis Rooney had used that term, and Bass added that she plans to "sit down and talk to him about the McCarthy era" when Congress returns.

Rooney, who made the call earlier in the week, said earlier Wednesday that the FBI should oust individuals who he argued are politically compromised, but he also conceded that purge "might be a pretty strong word.

"I'm not maybe the most nuanced political person in the world."

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Rooney further called for the House Oversight Committee to significantly expand an internal probe that had turned up messages critical of President Donald Trump in an exchange between two FBI officials during the campaign. Those officials temporarily worked as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's team in the Russia investigation.

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