When it comes to bashing the news media, President Trump has nothing on former Milwaukee County, Wis., sheriff David A. Clarke Jr.

Clarke, who regularly slams the "lib media" on his Twitter account, tweeted Saturday that the "antidote" to "fake news" is to hit back at news organizations, "punch them in the nose" and "make them taste their own blood."

The tweet was part of a barrage Clarke unleashed after several news organizations — including the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY Network — reported on an FBI search warrant request to look into Clarke's emails as part of a past investigation. The March 7 affidavit in support of a search warrant request was made public just last week.

More:Months after decision not to charge David Clarke, email search warrant filed

The FBI was looking into possible civil rights violations related to a January encounter on an airplane between then-sheriff Clarke — who resigned in August — and Dan Black, a fellow passenger. Federal prosecutors announced in May that they would not file criminal charges in the case.

More:Sheriff Clarke directed staff to hassle plane passenger after brief exchange

The Journal Sentinel and other news outlets made it clear that the investigation was not ongoing and did not lead to criminal charges.

"Lib media did a drive-by hit job on me today with a FAKE NEWS STORY that I am under investigation by the FBI. It's a LIE," Clarke tweeted in a post that included a letter from the U.S. attorney announcing the decision not to file charges. "Lying Lib media took a story from LAST MAY & reports this today as new."

Clarke did not specify what news organizations reported that the investigation into Clarke was ongoing. USA TODAY was unable to find a report that implied the FBI was still investigating the incident.

The letter from U.S. Attorney Gregory Haanstad Clarke included in Clarke's tweet does not back up Clarke's claim that the investigation found "no evidence of wrongdoing."

"Our decision is not meant to affirm the wisdom or propriety of what occurred," Haanstad said. "It reflects only our belief that it would be difficult or impossible to prove a violation ... beyond a reasonable doubt."

In another tweet, Clarke accused the news media of trying to "silence" him because "I have been wearing them out in messaging." The same tweet referred to journalists as "scum buckets."

Clarke repeated that sentiment in another tweet Saturday, which said he was "unintimidated" by the "attempts to smear and discredit" him.

He made similar points a few hours later Saturday.

At least one Twitter user filed a complaint about Clarke's tweet calling for the media to "taste their own blood" and Clarke delighted in Twitter's decision that the post did not violate any rules. Clarke said a "diaper wearing lefty didn't like my metaphor reference to punching LYING LIB media in the nose."

His work apparently done for the day, Clarke took a moment in another tweet to reflect on what he considered Saturday's social media successes.

"Nothing like getting under the skin of lefties like I did today," Clarke said. "I fight to win. You come at me libs you better bring a hard hat, some aspirin and your veggie wrap because it’s going to be a long day and I’m going to smack you around until you crawl back to your mom’s basement."

More:Report: Sheriff David Clarke plagiarized parts of homeland security thesis