House Majority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy went on “The Richard Beene Show” on Thursday and dismissed the controversy surrounding his comment that Russian President Vladimir Putin was paying Donald Trump as nothing more than a joke.

“This was a joke,” McCarthy told Beene during a nine-minute interview.

McCarthy was recorded saying that Trump, along with fellow California Republican Rep. Dana Rohrbacher, was being paid by the Russian leader. The Washington Post reported the story Wednesday afternoon and it quickly exploded into another controversy surrounding Trump and Russian influence, but McCarthy, who was one of Trump’s earliest and most strident supporters, dismissed the connection.

“It’s one of those inside a room little jokes,” McCarthy said. “I don’t understand why people can’t have a sense of humor.”

One big question is who recorded the meeting of key Republican members of House leadership a year ago?

“I have no idea,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy later called into “The Ralph Bailey Show,” and discussed the appointment of former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate the Russian connections to the Trump campaign.