A writer for MTV News came under fire on Tuesday after joking that Sen. Jeff Sessions, the attorney general nominee, kidnapped an Asian child from a local Toys R Us to use as a prop at his Senate confirmation hearing.

"Sessions, sir, kindly return this Asian baby to the Toys 'R' Us you stole her from," Ira Madison III, a cultural writer for MTV News, wrote in a now deleted tweet.

The child is Sessions' biological granddaughter. His family had accompanied him to his confirmation hearing.

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Madison continued to attack the Alabama senator. The MTV News writer referred to Sessions' grandchild as a mere "prop."

"There is no reason for that child to be in his lap in a hearing other than to send an 'I'm not racist message,'" Madison tweeted.

There is no reason for that child to be in his lap in a hearing other than to send an "I'm not racist message" — Ira Madison III (@ira) January 10, 2017

The comments were immediately condemned online. CNBC anchor John Harwood called them "disgusting," and The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza suggested Madison "never tweet."

A representative for MTV News told Business Insider that Madison's tweets did not speak for the company, but declined to answer further questions, including whether the outlet would take disciplinary action against the writer.

Madison's tweets came weeks after the outlet landed in hot water for producing a "Hey, white guys" video.

In the past year, MTV has attempted to breathe new life into its news operation. The company brought on several high-profile journalists from established news organizations, such as Ana Marie Cox from The New York Times Magazine and Jamil Smith from The New Republic.

The outlet, like many new-media ventures, considers itself the "conversation authority for the millennial audience."

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