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The Hill reports:

A Republican congressman from New York is calling on President Obama to apologize to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for comments Obama made that were caught on a live mic.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said to Obama that he "cannot bear Netanyahu, he's a liar."

"You're fed up with him, but I have to deal with him even more often than you," Obama responded according to a French interpreter.

Sarkozy and Obama were unaware that they were speaking in the range of an open mic.

In response, Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) is calling on Obama to formally apologize for his remarks.

"I find President Obama’s criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu highly offensive and call on him to issue a formal apology on behalf of the American people," Grimm said in a statement Tuesday. "Whether the microphones are on or off, the message to our allies in Israel should always remain the same: ‘We stand with you.’"

Grimm called Obama's comments "disgraceful" and "inappropriate."

"President Obama’s comments are disgraceful and inappropriate coming from someone who holds the highest office in the United States," Grimm added in the statement. "They provide a poor and inaccurate reflection of the American people he was elected to represent, and they must be rescinded."

Grimm's call for Obama to apologize falls in line with the GOP's overall response to the comments. Republicans in the past have capitalized on a somewhat tense relationship between Obama and Netanyahu on Paliestine and argued that Obama could be a better ally to Israel.

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