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MSNBC contributor Hugh Hewitt said on his radio program that former Vice President Joe Biden has “Transgendered into Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.” His comments were in response to Ocasio-Cortez, the new member of Congress, calling climate change “our World War II,” the Daily Beast reported. Hewitt’s radio program airs on Salem Radio Network.

Hewitt’s full comments were “Joe Biden has actually gone through the time machine and transgendered into Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. This was Joe Biden—she is going to fill the Biden gap. The Biden gap concerned me. Some day Joe will leave the public stage and we will not have people who will say outlandish things. But now the Biden gap is filled.”

Hewitt apologized for his own outlandish comments on Twitter, posting a link to a Media Matters article on his comments about Ocasio-Cortez and writing, “Apologies. Bad word choice on a sensitive subject.” Audio of his comments is posted on Media Matters’ website.

An MSNBC spokesperson declined to comment to iMediaEthics. iMediaEthics has written to the Washington Post and Salem Radio Network.

In May 2018, MSNBC and the Washington Post, where Hewitt is a columnist, warned Hewitt not to cover then-Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt because he and Pruitt are friends.