Attorney General Todd Blanche went nuclear on live TV Sunday, melting down when pressed on President Trump's ban of three mainstream news outlets — and bizarrely insisting that "one-sided" reporting is a "national security problem."

Blanche, 52, snapped at ABC News anchor Martha Raddatz during a combative interview on "This Week," at one point exclaiming "You cannot be asking me that!" as she grilled him over the White House's decision to bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from accessing the press pool last week.

The acting AG launched into a lengthy tirade about "one-sided media coverage" — even though the administration's official justification for the ban is national security, a glaring discrepancy Raddatz wasted no time calling out.

'A PRIVILEGE, NOT A RIGHT'

Blanche insisted Trump had not "denied access" to the outlets, framing the ban as a routine exercise of presidential prerogative.

"This is what the president has said — that he is sick and tired of certain media outlets just refusing to report accurate news," Blanche said, claiming the three banned organizations "refuse to report anything accurately," which he said presented a "national security problem."

"Being in the White House is a privilege — it's not a right!" he declared.

RADDATZ FIGHTS BACK

Raddatz wasn't having it.

"You are saying it is because of the way they report — [it] has nothing to do with national security," she shot back, noting that Trump "said nothing about national security" when he announced the ban.

"Clearly you are very interested in the fact of what the press says and how they say it."

When Raddatz pointed out that a federal judge had already concluded the ban was not based on national security concerns, an agitated Blanche interrupted her.

"That wouldn't be right," he cut in, before claiming once again that "at some point, the complete misinformation and the inaccuracy and the one-sided news out of certain organizations does become a national security issue."

SUBPOENA WARNING

As if the press ban wasn't enough, Blanche also warned that reporters "should not be surprised" if they're subpoenaed over national security stories — a chilling broadside against the Fourth Estate that drew immediate outrage from press freedom advocates.

The administration's legal position has already taken a beating in the courts, where a judge noted that "nothing in the record that predates this suit suggests that the revocation of Plaintiffs' hard passes was motivated by national security concerns."

THE TELL

Trump himself has repeatedly tied the ban to the outlets' negative coverage of him — directly undercutting his own administration's claim that this is about keeping America safe rather than settling scores with journalists who dare to challenge him.

So which is it, Mr. Attorney General? National security — or hurt feelings?

Because from where the press gallery sits, this looks less like protecting the republic and a whole lot more like punishing the messengers.