(CNN) - Crossfire co-host Newt Gingrich took aim at Republican elites, opening Tuesday's show by criticizing Karl Rove for his recent comments questioning Hillary Clinton's health.
"I do believe that Karl Rove was totally wrong," the former speaker of the House said in response to a report that Rove, a powerful Republican strategist, suggested the former secretary of state suffers from a brain injury stemming from a 2012 health scare.
"I think he represented the worst instincts of the consulting class in the Republican Party," Gingrich said.
[twitter-follow screen_name='politicalticker'][twitter-follow screen_name='crossfire']
"Just think about it for a minute, if Sen. Clinton, Secretary Clinton, First Lady Clinton is still out campaigning in 2016, there's not going to be any health issue, just as there wasn't a health issue with Dwight Eisenhower, just has there wasn't a health issue with Ronald Reagan."
Gingrich, who ran for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012, said Rove's comments " (typify) the Republican consulting class, which wants to be negative, narrow, personal, avoid ideas and not have to wrestle with the big issues."
Clinton, who's seriously considering a second bid for the White House, suffered a blood clot in December 2012, after a fall.
After first going to the hospital for testing, she later was admitted for a three-day stay at a hospital in New York City.
Gingrich called on Rove to apologize, further condemning his fellow Republican's comments as "petty, personal attacks."
"To bring up that kind of thing and suggest that kind of thing is what keeps a lot of decent people from getting into public life because it ain’t worth the pain of that kind of attack."
Gingrich is the latest in a slew of political groups and figures to slam Rove.
CNN's Dana Davidsen contributed to this report.