What Does Obama Know About Trump-Russia Scandal? Newt Gingrich Wants Him to Testify Before Congress

In the wake of reports of just how President Barack Obama responded to intelligence that Russia had indeed tried to hack the 2016 general election, former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich said Tuesday that Congress has "an obligation" to call the former commander-in-chief to testify before the intelligence committees investigating the ceaseless saga, according to Politico.

"Guess what's about to happen: The Congress is about to have to call Barack Obama in to testify under oath about when he knew about Russia meddling," Gingrich said on Fox & Friends. "Who told him? Why did he do nothing? Who was in the meetings when he decided to do nothing? It's going to turn out, yes, there's a big Russian story. It's Barack Obama. Not Donald Trump. And you cannot make this stuff up."

Gingrich wants Obama to appear before Congress and explain everything he knew, and when he knew it, regarding Russia's hacks.

"The Congress has an obligation to call him in. How can you be told the president of the United States knew last August the Russians were, in fact, involved in this and not ask him and ask him under oath? I mean, how can you be so irresponsible?" Gingrich said. "The House and Senate are going to have to call Obama in and say, 'Who told you? When did you have the meetings? Who advised you? Why did you not decide to do anything? And then why did you keep quiet for six months while everybody looked at the Russians and Trump when you, in fact, had this information last August?' "

Gingrich's words, many of which have shown support for current President Trump, come after an explosive Washington Post report published last week that explained when Obama knew Russia had made attempts to interfere or meddle in one of the most contentious elections in recent memory.

Among other revelations, it revealed in late August the CIA had told Obama Russian President Vladimir Putin directly said to attack Democrat Hillary Clinton in order to tip the scales for Trump.

"It is the hardest thing about my entire time in government to defend," a former senior Obama administration official told the Post. "I feel like we sort of choked."

The call for Obama to testify follows already explosive appearances by former FBI Director James Comey and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who refused to answer certain questions involving his conversations with Trump.

In response to Comey's testimony, Trump himself offered to testify under oath to respond to Comey's accusations that he had asked for loyalty and appeared to want the investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to be "let go."

Gingrich also seems to be echoing the president's most recent attempt to deflect attention away from his administration and former campaign by blaming his predecessor for failing to act.

To date, only three former U.S. presidents have testified before Congress, with the last being Gerald Ford in March 1983. Harry S. Truman and Theodore Roosevelt were the other two, though none of the three were ever asked to speak on such powerful topics as a foreign power's attempts to affect a U.S. election.