The official UK Civil Service twitter account posted an extraordinary message shortly after Prime Minister Boris Johnson backed under-fire senior aide Dominic Cummings.
Following allegations Mr Cummings had breached lockdown restrictions, Mr Johnson said he had "acted responsibly, legally and with integrity".
After the announcement at the daily press briefing, the UK Civil Service official Twitter account published a blunt message.
The tweet, which has since been deleted, said: "Arrogant and offensive. "Can you imagine having to work with these truth twisters?" The post was retweeted nearly 22,000 times and liked by over 31,000 people.