President Trump Donald John TrumpUS reimposes UN sanctions on Iran amid increasing tensions Jeff Flake: Republicans 'should hold the same position' on SCOTUS vacancy as 2016 Trump supporters chant 'Fill that seat' at North Carolina rally MORE criticized NBC's Chuck Todd Charles (Chuck) David ToddSunday shows - Trump team defends coronavirus response Strzok: 'I continue to believe that Donald Trump is compromised by the Russians' GOP chair defends Trump messaging on masks: 'To say that he should have known then what we know now isn't really fair' MORE on Sunday for what the president labeled as a "softball" interview with House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff Adam Bennett SchiffTop Democrats call for DOJ watchdog to probe Barr over possible 2020 election influence Overnight Defense: Top admiral says 'no condition' where US should conduct nuclear test 'at this time' | Intelligence chief says Congress will get some in-person election security briefings Overnight Defense: House to vote on military justice bill spurred by Vanessa Guillén death | Biden courts veterans after Trump's military controversies MORE (D-Calif.) on "Meet the Press."

“Sleepyeyes Chuck Todd of Meet the Corrupt Press, just had a ‘totally’ softball interview with conman Adam Schiff, never even calling Shifty out on his fraudulent statement to Congress, where he made up ALL of the words of my conversation with the Ukrainian President! FAKE NEWS,” Trump tweeted.

Sleepyeyes Chuck Todd of Meet the Corrupt Press, just had a “totally” softball interview with conman Adam Schiff, never even calling Shifty out on his fraudulent statement to Congress, where he made up ALL of the words of my conversation with the Ukrainian President! FAKE NEWS — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 26, 2020

ADVERTISEMENT

Trump’s criticism comes after Democrats, led by Schiff, finished their opening arguments in the Senate impeachment trial last week.

Trump has frequently criticized the California Democrat for his comments during a congressional hearing about the president’s phone call with Ukraine’s leader that sparked the impeachment inquiry. Schiff has said his comments were intended as “parody,” but Trump has called for Schiff to be prosecuted for treason over them.

As the NBC interview aired, Trump also called Schiff a “con” in another tweet.

“After having been exposed as a fraud and corrupt, can anyone, including Sleepyeyes Chuck Todd of Fake @NBCNews, continue to listen to his con?” Trump tweeted.

After having been exposed as a fraud and corrupt, can anyone, including Sleepyeyes Chuck Todd of Fake @NBCNews, continue to listen to his con? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 26, 2020

ADVERTISEMENT

The Hill has reached out to NBC News for comment.

During the interview, Schiff addressed a Trump tweet from earlier in the day that the congressman said was a threat.

The president tweeted that Schiff had “not paid the price, yet, for what he has done to our Country!”

“Do you take that as a threat?” Todd asked Schiff.

“I think it’s intended to be,” he responded.

Schiff said the tweet illustrates that Trump is a “vindictive” president.

"I don't think there's any doubt about it, and if you think there is, look at the president's tweets about me today saying that I should pay a price," Schiff said.

He also said that Republicans will need "moral courage to stand up to" Trump as the trial presses on.

"If we can't even get the senators to agree to call witnesses in a trial, it shows you just how difficult that moral courage is," Schiff said.