Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) went full tilt on Wednesday, comparing President Donald Trump to former Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.

“It is a testament to the condition of our democracy that our own president uses words infamously spoken by Joseph Stalin to describe his enemies,” Flake said on the Senate floor.

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Flake took issue with Trump’s regular media criticisms. The president often refers to CNN as “fake news,” and to The New York Times as “the failing New York Times.”

But Flake went further than attacking Trump. He suggested Congress has been derelict in its duties to rein him in. And he compared Trump to Stalin — who killed millions during his rein in the former Soviet Union, from 1929 to 1953.

“An American president who cannot take criticism, who must constantly deflect and distort and distract, who must find someone else to blame is charting a very dangerous path,” said Flake. “And a Congress that fails to act as a check on the president adds to the danger.”

Flake has rung the Never-Trump bells before. He criticized Trump throughout the 2016 campaign. In late 2017, he surprised his own supporters when he released a book, “Conscience of a Conservative: A Rejection of Destructive Politics and a Return to Principle,” which compared Trump to a carnival barker.

But the underlying reason Flake may be so critical of Trump has not changed: His approval ratings in Arizona are low. His approval ratings were so low, Flake announced on October 24 that he would retire and not seek re-election in 2018.

The retirement announcement came after Flake, a freshman senator, was seen as losing to former state Sen. Kelli Ward, a doctor who is running to unseat Flake.

Without a re-election to weigh him down, Flake has returned to attacking Trump — and on the same day the White House promised to release an award for the top outlet dealing in fake news, which it did.

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Flake’s timing was a bit off, though. He made his speech the same day former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kansas) received his Congressional Gold Medal from lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

Sarah Sanders, White House press secretary, said Flake was motivated by his low poll numbers.

She also blasted Flake for a recent trip to Cuba, saying the Arizona Republican had propped up a totalitarian regime by being a “mouthpiece.”

“He’s criticizing the president because he has terrible poll numbers,” said Sanders. “He’s looking for some attention.”

PoliZette White House writer Jim Stinson can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter.