Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert was recorded joking about shooting wolf pups to make "little hats" out of them.
The clip of Ms Boebert, who was speaking at an event for Representative Anthony Sabatini of Florida's re-election campaign, went viral.
The video was originally posted by the Twitter account Patriot Takes but the event occurred in February.
Ms Boebert recalled discussing the delisting of grey wolves from the endangered species list, and noted that they were being reintroduced to her district.
She said when she first arrived in Congress she was speaking with Congressman Matt Gaetz, and he asked her what some of the "top issues" are in Colorado.
"And I said, 'well gosh, I guess at a state level, they just brought wolves into my district. We delisted these suckers and now they're bringing them in," she said.
"[Mr Gaetz] is like 'oh Boebert the wolves. They're so cute. The pups they're [so cute]. What are you gonna do? You could go in there with your glock and get us a baby.' "Make a little hat."
One user called Ms Boebert "vile," while another demanded she "learn about how animals contribute and are important to an eco system and how you Boebert ARE NOT IMPORTANT."
Ms Boebert was discussing the delisting of the grey wolf from the endangered species list, a move made during former President Donald Trump's administration.
That move was met with condemnation from conservationists, who said the grey wolves had just barely recovered from their near-extinction status when Mr Trump stripped them of their protections.
Ranchers in Colorado supported the move, as it allowed them to hunt and kill wolves that might otherwise threaten their livestock. One of Ms Boebert's top 20 donors for 2021 and 2022 is and individual or PAC linked to Bear Mountain Ranch, which has 50 head of cattle on its land and gave $5,600 in donations.
Ms Boebert also penned a letter criticising the US Fish and Wildlife Service for launching a review of the wolves' status to determine whether the animals should be re-added to the protected species list.
“Radical special-interest groups are wasting resources by forcing the Fish and Wildlife Service to conduct reviews of a species that is thriving and already fully recovered. This move is extremist enviros’ first step to relist gray wolves as an endangered species and reinstate the federal government’s one-size-fits-all micromanagement of our farmers, ranchers, and state and local officials," she wrote. "Bureaucrats in D.C. shouldn’t interfere with local conservation efforts that are more than capable of managing the species effectively while also protecting livestock. An Endangered Species Act designation is not in the best interests of Colorado.”
