Newt Gingrich on Monday offered rare, scalding criticism of President Trump, demanding that the president explain the comments he made during his controversial press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the conclusion of their talks in Helsinki.

"President Trump must clarify his statements in Helsinki on our intelligence system and Putin," the former House speaker wrote on Twitter. "It is the most serious mistake of his presidency and must be corrected—-immediately."

[More: 'Shameful': Senate Republicans blast Trump after he blamed US for soured Russian relationship]

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



Trump received widespread scorn on Monday after he said at the media availability that he has yet to see any compelling reason why the Kremlin would have interfered in the 2016 election.

His comments follow special counsel Robert Mueller's indictment in federal court on Friday, which alleged 12 Russian military officials hacked Democratic email servers during the campaign.

Gingrich has been a vocal supporter of Trump, but he has on occasion provided constructive critiques of his performance.

Gingrich chastised Trump in April, claiming his administration had botched the release of Deputy Attorney Rod Rosenstein's memo outlining problems with fired FBI Director James Comey.