Rep. Eric Swalwell (D., Calif.) shot down the idea that calling Republicans "bums" is unhelpful, instead arguing the descriptor does not go far enough.
CNN played a clip of an ABC "This Week" interview with Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff (Calif.), who serves as the ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
In the clip, Schiff says the way to fight a Republican misinformation campaign is to "throw the bums out" of Congress.
"To your point of needing to look forward, is calling your Republican colleagues 'bums' the right way to move forward?" host Erica Hill asked Swalwell.
Swalwell repeatedly tried to justify Schiff's language and even argued it was too soft.
"I think he was probably being kind to them," Swalwell said during the discussion. "People want to see a check on the president, but people also want to see us put on his desk the things he would say he would sign that Republicans have not shown the courage to do," he said.
Swalwell further defended Schiff's remarks throughout the interview, saying if Republican lawmakers wouldn't stand up to President Donald Trump, then they needed to be removed from office.
"If they're not willing to be open to having their minds changed about holding the president accountable, then their seats are going to have to be changed," he said.
"The problem here is I think we've tried to be honest brokers all along in this investigation, particularly in the House investigation, and our Republican colleagues have put their heads in the sand to look the other way or they're rowing in the same direction with the president," he said.
Swalwell said Americans are tired of the constant lies from Trump and joked CNN will have him to debate when the day comes that Trump tweets about the sun setting in the East.
Hill pushed again on whether the "bums" language is the best way to lead by example.
"You're actually worse than bums if you're not willing to stand up to a president who is attacking a former FBI director, a patriot who served our country in Vietnam like Bob Mueller," Swalwell said.
"You're worse than a bum if you're allowing a president to cash in on the Oval Office and put Chinese workers ahead of American workers," he said.