Fox News host to Rep. Waters: 'Step away from the crack pipe'

Fox News host Eric Bolling is advising a black congresswoman to "step away from the crack pipe" because "you saw what happened to Whitney Houston."

In a segment Thursday on the Fox News morning show Fox & Friends, co-hosts Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt and Eric Bolling took time out of their morning to poke fun at Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) for saying that banks were "shaking in their boots" at the prospect of her becoming the next chair of the House Financial Services Committee.

"The Democrats would have to then win the majority in the House," Doocy explained. "And I haven't heard many professional prognosticators say that there is really any good possibility that that's going to happen."

"This is also the same congresswoman who a year ago said that President Obama should line up the gangsters and tax the bankers out of existence," Bolling recalled. "She points out that if the Democrats take back the House and Barney Frank is going to retire, she's the senior-most member. She could invariably could be leadership in Financial Services, who thinks that we should tax the bankers out of existence."

"What is going on in California -- how's this? Congresswoman, you saw what happened to Whitney Houston. Step away from the crack pipe, step away from the Xanax, step away from the lorazepam because it's going to get you in trouble," he added. "How else do you explain those comments?"

"I'd only say, 'Stay classy, congresswoman,'" Doocy quipped.

This isn't the first time Bolling has created a controversy with racially-tinged remarks.

Last year, he apologized after charging that President Barack Obama had allowed a "hoodlum in the hizzouse" by meeting with president of Gabon.

The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg called Bolling's comment "open and revolting racism at Fox."

Watch this video from Fox News' Fox & Friends, broadcast Feb. 16, 2012.

(H/T: Media Matters, Think Progress)