Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy (D) called presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) an "idiot" for his views of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
"I think he's an idiot," Malloy said to CNN Wednesday.
"This is a ridiculous conversation; really don't understand what he's talking about and I'm not sure he does."
Paul has been a staunch critic of FEMA, saying the agency is an unnecessary bureaucracy that hinders rather than helps relief efforts. Paul has said he believes any new money allocated for FEMA should be cut elsewhere from the federal budget.
"FEMA creates many of our problems," Paul said on "Fox News Sunday" over the weekend.
Malloy slammed Paul for being hypocritical in his beliefs about FEMA.
"For someone in Texas to be talking about FEMA perhaps being defunded really does rise to idiocy and hypocrisy. I mean what state has benefited more than Texas over the years from declarations of disasters. ... This is pure politics playing out across individual's misery," Malloy said.
Connecticut was hard hit by the storm system that spurred Hurricane Irene and will rely on FEMA for some recovery funds.
