Schiff was quick to shoot back, writing “with respect Mr. President, the problem is how often you watch TV, and that your comments and actions are beneath the dignity of the office.”

| Alex Brandon/AP Schiff responds to Trump’s ‘sleazy’ tweet

The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee shot back at President Donald Trump Monday morning, writing on Twitter that Trump’s conduct is “beneath the dignity of” the presidency.

Trump, who has long labeled the multiple ongoing investigations into Russian efforts to interfere in last year’s presidential election a “witch hunt,” attacked Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) Monday morning on Twitter, accusing him of using his committee’s probe as a platform to spend time on TV.


“Sleazy Adam Schiff, the totally biased Congressman looking into ‘Russia,’ spends all of his time on television pushing the Dem loss excuse!” Trump wrote.

Schiff was quick to shoot back, linking back to the president’s post and writing “with respect Mr. President, the problem is how often you watch TV, and that your comments and actions are beneath the dignity of the office.”

While Trump has denied that he spends a significant amount of time watching television, he is believed to be a voracious consumer of TV news, especially Fox News. Trump is perhaps most active on Twitter in the morning and his posts can frequently be traced to a recent segment on a morning TV news program, most often Fox News’s “Fox & Friends.”

POLITICO Playbook newsletter Sign up today to receive the #1-rated newsletter in politics Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

The president’s attack against Schiff mirrors one made late last week by one of his top advisers, Kellyanne Conway. In an interview on “Fox & Friends,” the counselor to the president said Schiff had spent more time on television that he had in hearings overseeing his committee’s Russia investigation.

“I mean, literally, Adam Schiff walks around with a cutout of the Capitol above his head instead of having these hearings,” she said.

