Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA). Photo: Samuel Corum / Pool via Reuters.

Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell of California was criticized on Wednesday after he compared ex-US Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell — a stalwart loyalist to President Donald Trump — to Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels.

In a social media exchange on Tuesday night with journalist Ryan Lizza, Swalwell — who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic presidential nomination last year — referred to Grenell as “Goebbels with a Twitter account.”

Don’t waste your time, @RyanLizza. @RichardGrenell is Goebbels with a Twitter account.

— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) June 3, 2020

In a statement on Wednesday, the national chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition, former Senator Norm Coleman, said, “Ric has been one of the most strident and effective defenders of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. While political rhetoric can get heated, there is no excuse for ugly comparisons to one of the worst monsters in human history. It demeans the important work that Ric has done — getting Germany to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, starving the terrorist regime in Iran of funds that would be used to finance terror against Israel and the Jewish people, and speaking out in defense of German Jews who were targets of antisemitic attacks.”

“Swalwell owes a genuine apology to Mr. Grenell, to his constituents whom he has embarrassed, and to the victims of Goebbels whose suffering he minimized by this comparison,” Coleman added.

Last night Democrat @ericswalwell (CA-15) disgustingly compared longtime friend of the Jewish community and the first openly gay member of a Presidential cabinet, @RichardGrenell, to infamous Nazi Joseph Goebbels. RJC National Chairman @normcoleman released this statement: pic.twitter.com/azxD0YdWl1

— RJC (@RJC) June 3, 2020

In response to the RJC, Swalwell tweeted, “In a few years, my children will be old enough to ask, ‘Dad, what did you do when Trump gassed peaceful protestors for a photo-op at a church?’ The only thing I’ll be sorry for is if I’m not able to say, ‘everything I could to help save our country.’”

In a few years, my children will be old enough to ask, “Dad, what did you do when Trump gassed peaceful protestors for a photo-op at a church?” The only thing I’ll be sorry for is if I’m not able to say, “everything I could to help save our country.” https://t.co/vpmMWeLgJL

— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) June 3, 2020