Veteran broadcaster Tom Brokaw accuses Fox News of waging “a jihad” against the FBI to discredit the investigation into whether President Donald Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia.

During an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Thursday, Brokaw slammed Fox News while addressing Trump’s tweet earlier in the day that praised “Fox & Friends” as “the most influential show in news.”

Was @foxandfriends just named the most influential show in news? You deserve it - three great people! The many Fake News Hate Shows should study your formula for success! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 21, 2017

Trump watches Fox News because it “reinforces what he believes,” Brokaw said, noting, however, that Shepard Smith, a Fox anchor willing to call out the Trump administration, was less biased.

“Fox News ... is on a jihad right now on the whole question about whether there’s fairness about this or not,” Brokaw said, referring to the network’s coverage of the Russia probe. “The whole assault is on the institutions.”

Trump and Fox News have been critical of the ongoing investigation into possible ties between the Russian government and Trump’s associates during the 2016 presidential election. The president and his supporters, including his news channel of choice, have tried to undermine the credibility of the FBI and the Justice Department’s special counsel, Robert Mueller, who’s leading the investigation.

Lawmakers and pundits from both parties expressed admiration for Mueller when he was appointed, applauding his experience and integrity. But as the Russia probe has intensified, Trump, Fox News and some Republican politicians have begun claiming Mueller’s team, as well as the FBI in general, unfairly favor the Democrats.

“At the very top, the Justice Department and the FBI became corrupted,” Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a Fox News contributor, said on the network earlier this month.

Story continues

Brokaw pointed out Gingrich’s hypocrisy on Thursday.

“Three months earlier, [Gingrich] had said Bob Mueller is one of the great distinguished public servants that we have,” Brokaw said. “So we’re in a war here and it’s going to be sorted out in the final analysis.”

UPDATE: 6:45 p.m. ― A spokeswoman for Fox News requested HuffPost include network contributor Katie Pavlich’s response to Brokaw’s comments. Pavlich tweeted that Fox News wasn’t “suicide bombing the NYC subway, running innocents over with trucks or flying planes into buildings, etc.”

Tom Brokaw just said Fox News is “on a jihad.” Fact check: Definitely false. — Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) December 21, 2017

Fox News isn’t suicide bombing the NYC subway, running innocents over with trucks or flying planes into buildings etc., but the real jihadists are and have @tombrokaw — Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) December 21, 2017

The Fox News spokeswoman did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment about Brokaw’s accusation that the network was attempting to discredit the FBI in an effort to assist Trump.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.