John Burton, chairman of the California Democratic Party, offered an apology on Tuesday over comments he made comparing Republicans and Republican vice president candidate Paul Ryan to the "big lie" strategy by Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels, reported CNN.
In an interview with San Francisco CBS- affiliate KCBS on Monday, Burton said, "They lie and they don't care if people think they lie. As long as you lie, Joseph Goebbels, the big lie, you keep repeating it, you know."
According to CNN, Goebbels was a close colleague of Adolf Hitler and was in charge of designing anti-Semitic propaganda for the Nazi party during World War II.
Republicans quickly condemned Burton's comparison and told the San Francisco Chronicle, "Chairman Burton's comments are outrageous and insulting to all Americans. It's become clear that with no record to run on and no plan for the future, President Obama and his allies will resort to the lowest attacks possible to divert attention away from the fact that Americans are worse off today than they were four years ago."
During his interview Monday, Burton complained to reporters that Republicans, including vice president candidate Paul Ryan, did not care about lying to the American people. He issued an apology on Tuesday but noted that he never referred to Republicans as Nazis, Fox News reported.
"If Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, or the Republicans are insulted by my describing their campaign tactic as the big lie -- I most humbly apologize to them or anyone who might have been offended by that comment," Burton said.
Democrats are holding their National Convention this week in Charlotte, N.C. to officially nominate President Barack Obama as their presidential candidate.
To listen to the full interview, visit here.