CNN's Keith Boykin says Republicans storming impeachment hearing looked like a 'Klan group'

CNN political commentator Keith Boykin used inflammatory language to describe Republicans who stormed a Democrat-led hearing in their impeachment inquiry.

"They looked ridiculous," said S.E. Cupp about Republicans who forced their way into private proceedings run by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).

The former Clinton White House aide responded by comparing the Republicans to the Ku Klux Klan.

"This is a disgraceful stunt," said Boykin.

"I'll go further than S.E. would go and I'll say this looks like a Klan group that is assembled outside of a jail trying to get the sheriff to let them in so that they could deliver their own justice against somebody who's inside," he added.

"It's not a good look for our Democracy, it's not good look for the Republican Party. Forty-seven of them apparently are already, Republicans are already on these committees that are in these impeachment investigation out of 197 total House Republicans, that's a quarter of the entire Republican caucus that is already represented, and they're creating these political stunts in order to throw off the attention," Boykin continued.

"They're not focused on the issue of why Trump is being impeached, they're focused on how they could complain about the process," he concluded.

Jake Tapper offered a muted criticism of the extreme comments by Boykin.

"Can I just say one thing to you Keith?" he said. "Respectfully, I think the Klan metaphor was a little strong and I don't want to get into the whole thing, but earlier this week we were talking about lynching and using that word lightly."

Boykin responded that he used it purposely to bring race into the issue.

Here's the video of the bizarre statement:

'I used it purposefully': CNN commentator maintains GOP sit-in like 'a Klan group'www.youtube.com