Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) on Sunday criticized President Trump Donald John TrumpObama calls on Senate not to fill Ginsburg's vacancy until after election Planned Parenthood: 'The fate of our rights' depends on Ginsburg replacement Progressive group to spend M in ad campaign on Supreme Court vacancy MORE's recent tweet featuring a modified video showing him body-slamming CNN in a wrestling match.

"Donald Trump has had a series of highly disturbing tweets, but his last one, on Sunday morning, was beyond disturbing," Lieu said on MSNBC.

"We now have the president encouraging violence against the news media. He is increasing the risk that a journalist is going to get injured or get killed."

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Lieu called that "wildly inappropriate."

"It also shows that this is what's in the president's mind," he said. "He is thinking about violence. He is thinking about assaulting a reporter."

Lieu said when the country sends its troops into harm's way, they "need to know that the president is of sound mind, rational and doing it for the right purposes."

"And these tweets make us question that," he said.

Trump in recent days has sparked controversy after several tweets attacking the media.

Last week, he spurred bipartisan uproar after attacking the co-hosts of MSNBC's "Morning Joe," and specifically targeting Mika Brzezinski's appearance.

On Sunday, the president continued to escalate his attack against CNN by tweeting a video that appeared to show Trump attacking and subduing a figure whose face is obscured by a CNN logo.

The tweet comes after White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders last week defended the president and denied he had ever promoted violence.

"The president in no way, form, or fashion has ever encouraged any form of violence," she said in a news briefing.