Democrats fundraising off Rep. West email

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is fundraising Wednesday off what they called a "hate-filled screed" sent from a freshman Republican congressman to the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.

The DCCC sent a fundraising letter Wednesday alerting supporters of an email sent from Rep. Allen West (Fla.) to Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.) on Tuesday.

In the email, West told Wasserman Schultz that she had "proven repeatedly that you are not a lady" and called her "the most vile, unprofessional and despicable member of the U.S. House of Representatives."

Wasserman Schultz's office downplayed the email as political rather than personal on Tuesday. But the DCCC sent out an email Wednesday asking donors to "make sure Republicans don't forget this moment."

In return, DCCC Chairman Steve Israel called West "disgraceful" and called on donors to donate toward helping the DCCC defeat Republicans like West in 2012.

"Unfortunately, this is exactly the sort of partisan tantrum we're used to from House Republicans as they push our economy to the brink of disaster while pandering to their Tea Party base," Israel wrote in the email.

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