Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus Thursday unleashed a sharp attack on liberal TV critic Chris Matthews, calling the MSNBC Hardball host “bizarre,” “unhinged,” and “hysterical” for charging the GOP with playing the race card.

Appearing on America’s Radio News Network with hosts John McCaslin and Chris Salcedo, Priebus said that when challenged by Matthews over race earlier this week, he tried to avoid a fight, though he did call Matthews a “jerk.”