Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Wednesday he was pleased that President Trump clarified the controversial remarks he made at Monday's Russia summit.
Gingrich was critical of Trump's comments -- calling them "the most serious mistake of his presidency" -- but said on "Fox & Friends" that his correction was important.
Trump had stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin was "extremely strong and powerful" in his denial of meddling in the 2016 election, casting doubt on the U.S. intelligence community's conclusions.
He clarified his remarks at the White House on Tuesday, saying that he misspoke and that he thought the point he made would have been obvious.
Some people HATE the fact that I got along well with President Putin of Russia. They would rather go to war than see this. It’s called Trump Derangement Syndrome!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 18, 2018
Gingrich said that although President Trump is someone who doesn't like to correct himself, his comments Monday were a big enough reason to.
"He simply had to stop and set the record straight."
President Trump must clarify his statements in Helsinki on our intelligence system and Putin. It is the most serious mistake of his presidency and must be corrected—-immediately.
— Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) July 16, 2018
Gingrich also tweeted that Obama-era officials were to blame for Russia's interference after Trump's clarification on Tuesday, saying that "they failed."
Left now has to explain why the Obama era officials attacking President Trump failed to protect America from Russian actions. It was their job not candidate Trump’s. They failed. Now they complain. Piety without performance is ridiculous.
— Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) July 17, 2018
"Trump was a candidate. He wasn't in charge of national security. They were, and they failed," he said Wednesday.
He praised Trump's efforts against Russia during his presidency thus far, like expelling 60 Russian diplomats from the United States.
"To suggest that Trump is some patsy for Putin requires you to deny everything that he's done," Gingrich said. "And that's why correcting that one mistake, I thought, was very important."
He criticized the left's attacks on the president, saying that even without any idea of what Trump has done, they will find a way to fault him.
"They wake up in the morning and they know Trump has done something wrong, they just don't know what it is yet," he said. "But they know that they'll be outraged."
Watch the segment above.
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