Morning Joe host hits out over claims of cosy relationship with Trump after attending the president-elect's New Year's Eve party at Mar-a-Lago estate

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Joe Scarborough insisted his presence at the party was only to secure an inauguration interview with Trump
Scarborough engaged in a heated tweet war with journalists who noted his attendance at the party
He says journalists have personal relationships with politicians and never come under scrutiny
During the presidential campaign, Scarborough said he wouldn't vote for Trump

Published: 23:00 EST, 2 January 2017 | Updated: 08:19 EST, 3 January 2017

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Political pundit Joe Scarborough lashed out at journalists covering President-Elect Donald Trump for how they characterized his attendance at Trump's New Year's Eve party on his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.

After engaging in a public argument with journalists on Twitter, Scarborough told CNN's Dylan Byers that he's being picked on by the media only because it was Trump with whom he had a meeting.

On Sunday and Monday, Scarborough sent a flurry of tweets criticizing several journalists who claimed he and his MSNBC co-host, Mika Brzezinski had 'partied' with Trump.

Journalists have criticized Joe Scarborough and his MSNBC co-host, Mika Brzezinski, for attending President-Elect Donald Trump's New Year's Eve party on his Mar-a-Lago estate

Scarborough has been critical of Trump on his show and said he didn't vote for the president-elect in the primary or general election

New York Times reported Maggie Haberman noted in an article that Scarborough and Brzesinski were among the high-profile guests at Trump's party

Scarborough insisted they were at the party to land an inauguration interview.

'I am sick and tired of people misrepresenting me and making snide assumptions and giving readers false conclusions', he told Byers.

The controversy began after New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman noted that Scarborough and Brzesinski were among the high-profile guests at Trump's soiree.

Though Scarborough disputed the accuracy of the article, Haberman tweeted a photo of him talking to Trump at the party that an attendee sent her.

Scarborough was spotted on the red carpet at Trump's New Year's Eve party on his Mar-a-Lago estate (pictured). The Morning Joe host insisted he was only there to secure an inauguration interview with Trump

Scarborough immediately fired off a series of tweets accusing the Times of lying. His proof that he and Brzezinski didn't attend the black-tie party was that they were in casual clothes and left before it started.

He said they were not even invited to the party.

'Nothing that Mika and I did in setting up this meeting was any different than what all good reporters and news hosts try to do daily', Scarborough wrote in a tweet.

He sparred with Haberman on Twitter, writing that she should have called him to confirm his attendance before publication.

Haberman tweeted this photo of Scarborough talking to Trump at the party

Scarborough sparred with Haberman on Twitter. The debate angered him so much he even brought it up on Morning Joe on Monday

CBS News staffer Sopan Deb responded by needling Scarborough

Scarborough accused Deb of creating 'fake news'

As their Twitter feud escalated, Scarborough wrote: 'I’m just not spending another year being lied about over objectively verifiable facts'

But Scarborough's biggest beef was with CBS News staffer Sopan Deb, who will soon be joining Haberman at the Times.

'Morning Joe's hosts partied with Trump last night at Mar-A-Lago. Last year, Trump publicly thanked them for support' Deb wrote in a tweet.

Scarborough's rebuttal: 'Last year I said Trump's campaign was racist, xenophobic and disqualifying. But be snide while making facts up. Partied? Not even close'.

During the presidential campaign, Scarborough was initially critical of Trump on his show and said he didn't vote for the president-elect in the primary or general election.

Scarborough said many journalists have personal relationships with politicians and never come under scrutiny, and that the only reason he has been targeted is because the politician in this case is Trump.