Maria Bartiromo caught off guard by GOP lawmaker's ugly attack on Kamala Harris

Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo appeared visibly surprised by a pair of ugly smears from Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) against Vice President Kamala Harris and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

The Texas Republican appeared Thursday morning on Bartiromo's program to discuss the impeachment push against Homeland Security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and the host was caught off guard by Nehls' response to remarks about border security.

"I can't listen to that nut job," Nehls said of Jean-Pierre, as Bartiromo raised her eyebrows high in surprise. " I can't believe anything she says."

After dismissing Jean-Pierre's assurance that border security was a priority for President Joe Biden as crazy, Nehls then claimed the administration intended to flood the nation with immigrants and swiftly offer them citizenship so they could vote for his re-election.

READ MORE: Birtherism is back. But these top GOPers are tired of Trump’s citizenship conspiracies.

"Then it's one-party rule forever," Nehls said, slipping in a plug for his new book, Borderless By Design.

Nehls expressed support for impeaching Mayorkas for what he described as systemic failures in border security and heaped blame on "border czar" Harris, and Bartiromo was stunned by his response when she asked what the vice president should be doing.

"She's not going to do anything, I think they just put her out there to make it look like she's actually worth something – she isn't worth anything," Nehls said, and Bartiromo blinked her eyes in astonishment. "They kind of put her in the basement, if you haven't noticed recently, because I think she embarrasses herself."

Watch the video below or at this link.