Sen. Steve Daines’ (R-MT) office torched at Sen. Jon Tester (R-MT) in a statement Tuesday, charging that the Montana Democrat is “no stranger” to dangerous rhetoric.

Tester released an op-ed Tuesday in which he contends that the 13 Republican senators, which includes Daines, who planned to object to the certification of the 2020 presidential election, amount to “traitors.”

Tester wrote:

Maybe they did it because they believe it will help them in their next election. Maybe they did it to raise money, or because it’s much easier to follow than to lead. Whatever their reasons, blame rests squarely on their shoulders, and history will never forget who they are — no matter how much they try to explain it away now.

If traitors to our democracy aren’t held accountable, we will fall under siege again. And if that happens, it will unfold with better planning and even bloodier results.

Tester has made incendiary comments in the past, which the Daines office called “dangerous rhetoric.”

In July 2019, Tester said the way to beat Trump in the 2020 election is to “punch him in the face.”

“I don’t think, even in states where Donald Trump won big, that it does you any good running away from Donald Trump,” Tester said. “I think you need to go back and punch him in the face. I mean the truth is this guy is bad for this country.”

“Senator Tester is no stranger to dangerous rhetoric when he suggested on MSNBC just 18 months ago his supporters need to ‘punch the President in the face.’ However, calling Senators and Congressmen traitors is inexcusable,” a Daines spokesperson said in a statement.

The spokesperson added, “His outrage is an effort to silence not the criminals who assaulted the Capitol but the vast majority of peaceful, patriotic supporters of President Trump, and a strong majority of his own Montana constituents who just overwhelmingly elected Senator Daines and Congressman Rosendale over his preferred candidates. Senator Daines believes it’s time to stop trying to score political points and come together for the future of our country.”

Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.