Fox News' Shepard Smith hammers Trump for avoiding this question during his press conference

Fox News' anchor Shepard Smith ripped into Trump for going after his colleague from CNN, Jim Acosta, during the combative press conference Thursday in order to escape from answering questions about his staff's communications with Russian officials.

"Jim Acosta over there from CNN," Smith said, "an accomplished supporter, a guy I've never met."

But a good reporter, I mean, treating him like he's... I'm not even going to use the word, I'm not gonna give Twitter the love it needs. It's crazy what we're watching every day, it's absolutely crazy. He keeps repeating ridiculous throwaway lines that are not true at all, and sort of avoiding this issue of Russia as if we're some kind of fools for asking the question.

Really? Your opposition was hacked? And the Russians were responsible for it, and your people were on the phone with Russia on the same day it was happening, and we're fools for asking the questions?

Here he turned directly to the camera, saying, "No, sir. We're not fools for asking this question, and we demand to know the answer to this question, you owe this to the American people.

Your supporters will support you either way. If your people were on the phone what were they saying? We have a right to know, we absolutely do. And that you call us "fake news" and put us down like children for asking these questions on behalf of the American people is inconsequential.

"The people deserve that answer," Shepard intoned, "at very least."

Clip: @ShepNewsTeam sticks up for CNN's Jim @Acosta - & went further... pic.twitter.com/iITXqAzXXF

— johnny dollar (@johnnydollar01) February 16, 2017

Questions still remain after Michael Flynn's resignation which was precipitated by leaks showing he had lied to Vice President Mike Pence about communications he had with a Russian ambassador before the election. Very soon after his resignation, more intelligence leaks appeared to claim that he wasn't the only Trump staffer who had these communications and that they happened multiple times before the election.

Both Democrats and Republicans are calling for investigations into the circumstances surrounding Flynn's resignation while the president appears to only be interested in the intelligence leaks which periodically toss his administration into chaos.

Trump's pick to replace Flynn seems also to have been affected by the turmoil - he declined the offer Thursday and is reported to have called it a "s**t sandwich" because of the pandemonium.