A Nevada rancher whose stand against the federal government became a right-wing cause célèbre has been caught on tape making racist comments. Cliven Bundy refused to pay decades’ worth of fees for grazing his cattle on federal land, prompting a standoff with federal rangers during which an armed militia of supporters flocked to his aid. In comments quoted by The New York Times, Bundy discussed what he termed “the Negro.”

Cliven Bundy: “So now what do they do? They abort their young children, they put their young men in jail, because they never learned how to pick cotton. And I’ve often wondered, are they better off as slaves, picking cotton and having a family life and doing things, or are they better off under government subsidy?”

Right-wing figures, including Fox News host Sean Hannity and Republican Senators Dean Heller, Rand Paul and Ted Cruz, have all condemned Bundy’s remarks after they publicly supported his case.