Former White House economist warns of Walz's 'disturbing' policies: 'Avowed socialist'

Former White House Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Kevin Hassett is warning voters about Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's "disturbing" approach to economic policy. 

"He absolutely is a tax-and-spend liberal. In fact, he's an avowed socialist," Hassett argued during an appearance on "Varney & Co."

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Walz was blasted last week on social media after telling a group of Democrats that socialism is what some people would call "neighborliness." The clip received renewed attention on the heels of Vice President Kamala Harris announcing him as her 2024 running mate. 

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"I'm sorry, governor, socialism is Venezuela. And the really terrifying thing is that if you think of Venezuela, you think of what's going on there, the violence, the empty stores, the rioting on the streets. It's exactly what you see in Minnesota," Hassett argued.

"The fact that the Democrats have chosen a Venezuelan socialist-type person who has run a state into being almost Venezuela suggests that the far left of the party has taken over. And I find that very disturbing."

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The economic expert continued, breaking down the "terrifying" side of Walz's socialist approach to policy.

"There are so many reasonable, moderate Democrats in the Senate and so on, and they're not speaking up. They're letting this happen. And I think it's a very, very bad sign for the country that the sort of old Bill Clinton, moderate Democrat, an economic policy wing of the party has been taken over," Hassett warned.

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"They put Joe Biden in the White House and pretended he's a moderate. And then he kind of ran as if he was Bernie Sanders. Now they're running Bernie Sanders. It's a truly disturbing thing."

Hassett concluded, calling on Democrats to "speak up" as the party begins to make a quick slide for the far-left. 

"I am just stunned by what's going on right now," he said to host Stuart Varney. 

Fox News' Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.