Trump attacks 'pathetic' Fox News for airing 'loser' Rep. Eric Swalwell and other Democrats

William Cummings | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Smith decries press 'intimidation', first speech after Fox News Shepard Smith, a frequent on-air Trump critic during his Fox News tenure, urged for press protection at the 2019 International Press Freedom Awards.

President Donald Trump again slammed Fox News for giving airtime to Rep. Eric Swalwell and his other Democratic critics, tweeting Sunday that it was "pathetic" how "Fox panders."

"Don’t get why @FoxNews puts losers on like @RepSwalwell (who got ZERO as presidential candidate before quitting), Pramila Jayapal, David Cicilline and others who are Radical Left Haters?" Trump tweeted listing three Democratic House members who have frequently spoken out against the president and his policies.

"The Dems wouldn’t let @FoxNews get near their bad ratings debates, yet Fox panders. Pathetic!" he wrote, referring to the Democratic National Committee's decision not to let Fox News host the party's primary debates.

Don’t get why @FoxNews puts losers on like @RepSwalwell (who got ZERO as presidential candidate before quitting), Pramila Jayapal, David Cicilline and others who are Radical Left Haters? The Dems wouldn’t let @FoxNews get near their bad ratings debates, yet Fox panders. Pathetic! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 8, 2019

Rep. David Cicilline, D-Ri.I., fired back on Twitter, telling Trump, "while you’re busy tweeting insults, we’re busy working to honor our oath of office to protect and defend the constitution and safeguard our democracy," along with a photo of himself with Swalwell, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., and Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo.

"Thanks for watching, Mr. President. Why won’t you testify about your attempt to get Ukraine to interfere in the 2020 election?" he added.

.@realDonaldTrump, while you’re busy tweeting insults, we’re busy working to honor our oath of office to protect and defend the constitution and safeguard our democracy. @JoeNeguse pic.twitter.com/dsUVaQWbQA — David Cicilline (@davidcicilline) December 8, 2019

"While you’re tweeting at us, Mr. President, we are working to uphold the Constitution and keep you accountable," Jayapal said in a tweet, along with the same photo. Swalwell posted the same tweet from his own account.

Jayapal also invited Trump to attend the House Judiciary Committee's impeachment hearings.

"We have some questions about your abuse of power," she said. "The only thing radical – and unacceptable – is a President of the United States inviting foreign interference in our elections, the most sacred democratic institution."

The tweet echoed one Trump posted last month in which he slammed the cable news network for an interview with Swalwell.

"Fox should stay with the people that got them there, not losers!" he said. That tweet also referred to Swalwell's short-lived run in the Democratic presidential primary.

In another tweet in November, Trump called "Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace "nasty" and "obnoxious" after a contentious interview with House Minority Whip Steve Scalise about the impeachment inquiry.

The president is a regular viewer of Fox News, which is home to some of his staunchest supporters in the news media such as Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Mark Levin and Jeanine Pirro. But he has lashed out and painted it as a betrayal when the network has run news stories he considers unfavorable or runs polls that show him performing poorly.

Trump's tweet calling Fox News "pathetic" was among more than three dozen tweets and retweets he posted Sunday, many of them in reaction to television news coverage.

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