Gingrich on Clinton's latest email explanation: new way to 'lie about lying'

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Exclusive: Gingrich, Becerra debate state of 2016 race

Former House speaker and Democratic congressman react to Clinton widening lead over Trump on 'Fox News Sunday'

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Sunday that Hillary Clinton’s latest attempt to explain her email scandal -- that her brain had a “short circuit” -- is a “very dangerous” excuse and a new way to “lie about lying.”

“She now has a fundamental way of saying, ‘I didn’t quite lie to you; I just short-circuited,' ” Gingrich, a Georgia Republican and top supporter of GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, also told “Fox News Sunday.” "It’s one thing to lie, it’s another to lie about lying."

He was joined on the show by California Democratic Rep. Xavier Becerra who, like other Clinton supporters, is trying to move past Clinton as secretary of state using a private email server and the related FBI investigation.

“While we want to make more of it, like [FBI Director James] Comey said, let’s move on,” said Becerra, who tried to turn the debate with Gingrich to Trump’s immigration policy, calling him an “immigrant basher.”

“He just wants his immigrants to be legal,” Gingrich told Becerra, who is joining others in questioning the legal status of Trump’s immigrant wife, Melania.

Gingrich and Becerra also sparred over each of their candidate’s economic policies and plans to defeat the Islamic State terror group.

Becerra repeated the argument that Trump’s plan would cost the U.S. economy a “breathtaking” 3.5 billion jobs. And he backed Clinton saying last week that Obama didn’t have enough time to fully execute is economic recovery plan, including a nearly $1 billion stimulus plan.

“He had a chance with $900 million and blew it,” Gingrich said. “You campaign on things being good enough. We’ll campaign on things should be better. And we’ll see who wins.”

Becerra criticized Trump’s plan to defeat ISIS, arguing it’s in large part based on allowing the U.S. military to torture detainees and “cozying up” to Russian President Vladimir Putin.