Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota ripped into Fox News host Sean Hannity during a tense interview on Tuesday night.

Hannity began his segment by claiming President Barack Obama was to blame for looming across-the-budget cuts known as the sequester. The conservative Fox News host insisted the President was “fearmongering” about the consequences of the cuts and played an irreverent mash-up of Obama’s recent speeches.

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“You’re the worst excuse for a journalist I’ve ever seen,” Ellison said after being introduced.

Hannity asked for Ellison to repeat himself, claiming he couldn’t hear him. Instead, Ellison continued to blast Hannity, saying his mash-up was deceptive “yellow journalism” and a “breach of every journalistic ethic I know of.” Ellison told Hannity he was a “shill for the Republican Party,” but Hannity repeatedly insisted he was a “registered conservative.”

“Keep going, keep ranting,” Hannity said.

Ellision said it was wrong for Hannity to blame Obama for the sequester. The across-the-board spending cuts were part of a political deal to raise the federal debt ceiling in 2011. The sequester was intended to be so painful that it would force Republicans and Democrats to compromise on a plan to reduce the federal deficit. Ellison noted a so-called “super committee” that was supposed to hash out a deal had failed and blamed the failure on Republicans’ stubborn opposition to raising taxes.

The two men continued to exchange barbs. Eventually, Hannity asked Ellison about the “immoral” debt.

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“You’re immoral,” Ellison replied. “You say things that aren’t true.”

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