CNN chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta sent a direct message to a Twitter follower that read "F--- you" after being mocked on the social media platform on Thursday night.

Direct messages can only be seen by the sender and receiver, but Justin Caporale, a former aide to first lady Melania Trump Melania TrumpThe Hill's Campaign Report: Trump faces backlash after not committing to peaceful transition of power FBI director casts doubt on concerns over mail-in voting fraud Trump: 'We could hardly hear' boos, chanting at Supreme Court MORE, made Acosta's message public by tweeting it to his own followers.

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The response came after Caporale jokingly responded to an Acosta tweet reporting on a rally in Montana featuring President Trump Donald John TrumpSteele Dossier sub-source was subject of FBI counterintelligence probe Pelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Trump 'no longer angry' at Romney because of Supreme Court stance MORE on Thursday.

"Tonight the Trump campaign/WH turned up the music so loud the press risers were vibrating," wrote Acosta. "Nearly impossible to do live TV. I suppose the WH loves those kinds of shenanigans. But I wonder if it’s a security concern for [United States Secret Service] or local law enforcement. They can’t hear either."

Tonight the Trump campaign/WH turned up the music so loud the press risers were vibrating. Nearly impossible to do live TV. I suppose the WH loves those kinds of shenanigans. But I wonder if it’s a security concern for USSS or local law enforcement. They can’t hear either. — Jim Acosta (@Acosta) October 19, 2018

Caporale responded by writing "Dear Diary..." in an attempt to mock Acosta.

Dear Diary..... — justin (@justincap_) October 19, 2018

“Fuck you,” Acosta wrote to Caporale, using Twitter's private direct message option.

Caporale, who resigned as the first lady's director of operations in March, then shared Acosta's message on Twitter.

He also allowed a reporter from the Daily Caller, Peter J. Hasson, to log on to his Twitter account and verify the message.

.@justincap_ allowed me to log into his account and view the message. Here's a screenshot I took pic.twitter.com/r4F6EpbQAH — Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) October 19, 2018

After reports began to surface of Acosta's message to Caporale, the reporter publicly apologized while stating he thought Caporale was "an old friend from the campaign days."

"Hey buddy I thought you were an old friend from the campaign days. I’m so sorry. Hope I didn’t offend you. Have a good night and take care," Acosta wrote.

Hey buddy I thought you were an old friend from the campaign days. I’m so sorry. Hope I didn’t offend you. Have a good night and take care. https://t.co/4u9fj1BNPI — Jim Acosta (@Acosta) October 19, 2018

Acosta was promoted to chief White House correspondent by CNN earlier this year.