Fox Denounces Trump's 'Sick Obsession' with News Anchor

Fox News renewed its bitter dispute with Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump, accusing him of harboring a "sick obsession" with prominent news anchor Megyn Kelly and waging a campaign of crude verbal abuse against her.

The strongly worded riposte is the latest episode in a simmering, months-long feud between the influential television channel and Trump, who took time out of his schedule Thursday to fire off three tweets calling out "crazy" Kelly, America's most-watched female news anchor.

"Donald Trump's vitriolic attacks against Megyn Kelly and his extreme, sick obsession with her is beneath the dignity of a presidential candidate who wants to occupy the highest office in the land," Fox News said in a statement Friday.

"Megyn is an exemplary journalist and one of the leading anchors in America -- we’re extremely proud of her phenomenal work and continue to fully support her throughout every day of Trump’s endless barrage of crude and sexist verbal assaults.”

The row ignited in August when Kelly moderated the first debate of the presidential campaign cycle.

The billionaire Trump, who is in pole position for the Republican nomination for the White House, reacted to tough questioning from Kelly by insinuating she treated him unfairly only because she was menstruating.