Donald Trump slams Jan. 6 committee TV ratings

Former President Donald Trump called the television ratings for the Jan. 6 committee hearing "absolutely awful" and questioned the integrity of the proceedings.

"The T.V. Ratings for the January 6th Unselect Committee were absolutely awful," Trump wrote Sunday on his platform, Truth Social.

"Perhaps the reason is that it is being 'sponsored' by Adam 'Shifty' Schitt and the same people that brought you the Russia, Russia, Russia HOAX, and that the Unselects are not interested in hearing from anyone saying the Election was Rigged and Stolen, despite the EVIDENCE being irrefutable!" the former president said, taking a hit at California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, the House Jan. 6 committee member who led the first impeachment against Trump.

An estimated 20 million people watched the Jan. 6 committee hearing Thursday, Nielsen ratings agency observed, per Reuters. By comparison, 38 million people tuned in to President Joe Biden's State of the Union address in March.

However, some Americans seem to have changed the channel to Fox News rather than the hearing, as the network saw a slight bump in viewership during the congressional hearing, according to The Wrap.

"So the Unselect Committee of political HACKS refuses to play any of the many positive witnesses and statements, refuses to talk of the Election Fraud and Irregularities that took place on a massive scale, and decided to use a documentary maker from Fake News ABC to spin only negative footage," Trump posted on Truth Social the night of the hearing.

Many Republicans are portraying the committee as "illegitimate" and a "sham."