President Donald Trump said former President Barack Obama must have known about the phony Russia investigation implicating his campaign.

Trump discussed the issue with George Stephanopoulos in an interview aired Sunday who asked him if the former president was aware of the investigation.

“I would say that he certainly must have known about it because it went very high up in the chain,” Trump replied. “But you’re going to find that out. I’m not going to make that statement quite yet. But I would say that President Obama had to know about it.”

Trump called the Russia dossier a “fake pile of garbage” as it was passed around between some members of Congress and top intelligence officials.

He acknowledged his enemies wanted details of the information published, but credited the establishment media for refusing to publish it.

“The one time I respected the press because they did the right thing, they wouldn’t print it. They couldn’t get it printed,” Trump said. “They tried it to be before the election. If that would have happened before the election, I could have lost.”

Stephanopoulos asked Trump if he believed Obama actually spied on his campaign.

“I don’t know,” Trump replied. “But hopefully we’re going to find out.”