Sen. Jerry Moran Gerald (Jerry) MoranLobbying world This World Suicide Prevention Day, let's recommit to protecting the lives of our veterans Hillicon Valley: Zuckerberg acknowledges failure to take down Kenosha military group despite warnings | Election officials push back against concerns over mail-in voting, drop boxes MORE (R) defended the media during a packed town hall in Palco, Kan., on Thursday, appearing to take a veiled shot at President Trump's Twitter feud with the press.

"The media, they have a job to perform. My circumstances as a representative has been so many instances in which the media has found corruption, mistakes, errors, bad government and their reporting is what allows members of Congress to then find the information to pursue an issue," he said.

Moran, who noted he doesn't watch TV news, added that "yes, the media says things that aren't always appealing to all of us, but the media's role is an important one."

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Moran didn't directly mention Trump, but a constituent asked for his reaction to an executive branch, and a president, that he said promotes "uncivil discourse."

"The things that are said in so many instances on Twitter are offensive. They diminish the chances of finding common ground. ... I believe that God made each one of us in this room, therefore who am I to dismiss, to diminish the value of what someone would say, in rude and insolent ways," the GOP senator told constituents.

Trump has recently stepped up this feud with the media. His tweets attacking "Morning Joe" co-host Mika Brzezinski sparked widespread backlash from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers.

Trump also drew heat when he tweeted an altered video showing him tackling CNN at a wrestling match.

GOP senators, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellObama calls on Senate not to fill Ginsburg's vacancy until after election Planned Parenthood: 'The fate of our rights' depends on Ginsburg replacement Progressive group to spend M in ad campaign on Supreme Court vacancy MORE (Ky.), have publicly pushed back against Trump's penchant for weighing into issues on Twitter and urged him to tweet less.

Moran added on Thursday that, both morally and practically, "we need leadership, presidential and otherwise, in this country that brings us together, not pulls us apart."