In an interview with ‘This Week’ co-host Martha Raddatz, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich categorized Donald Trump’s ‘rigged election’ claims as a “coup d’etat” against fourteen million citizens who voted for Donald Trump in the Republican primary committed by “20 media executives.”

“This is about last Friday when the networks spent 23 minutes on the Trump tape,” he said. “And less than one minute — all three networks combined — less than one minute on the Hillary Clinton’s secret speeches that were being revealed on WikiLeaks.”

“I think it’s amazing that Trump is as close as he is right now, considering the one-sidedness of the news media barrage,” Gingrich said.

He also said: “I’m old enough to remember when Richard Nixon had the election stolen in 1960 and no serious historian doubts that Illinois and Texas were stolen. So to suggest that we have — that you don’t have theft in Philadelphia is to deny reality.”

MARTHA RADDATZ, ABC HOST: You heard Tim Kaine talk about his concerns over charges of a rigged election, but Mr. Trump has been continuing to ramp up the rhetoric in tweets and speeches. Senator Jeff Sessions joined the chorus yesterday saying they are attempting to rig the election. So who are “they” and how are they doing this?

NEWT GINGRICH: Well, I think they are the news media. This is not about election officials at the precinct level. This is about last Friday when the networks spent 23 minutes on the Trump tape and less than one minute — all three networks combined — less than one minute on the Hillary Clinton’s secret speeches that were being revealed on WikiLeaks. And you look at that and you say — I mean, I think it’s amazing that Trump is as close as he is right now, considering the one-sidedness of the news media barrage.

And the best description of it is by Barry Castleman in his blog where he said this is a coup d’etat. Fourteen million citizens and private ballots picked Donald Trump, 20 TV executives have decided to destroy him.

RADDATZ: But you say it’s not at the precinct level, but Trump has also told people to monitor polling stations.

GINGRICH: They should. You look at Philadelphia, you look at St. Louis, you look at Chicago, I mean, again I’m old enough, I remember when Richard Nixon had the election stolen in 1960 and no serious historian doubts that Illinois and Texas were stolen. So to suggest that we have — that you don’t have theft in Philadelphia is to deny reality.

RADDATZ: So you really think this election could be stolen. Do you believe that if Mr. Trump loses, it will be because of a massive conspiracy or fraud, not because more Americans voted for someone else?

GINGRICH: I think that without the unending one-sided assault of the news media, Trump would be beating Hillary by 15 points. I think when you look at WikiLeaks and you look at all the things she has said, when you look at the deals in Russia that Bill Clinton made, and that the Clinton Foundation — I mean, all this nonsense by Kaine about Russia, it’s Clinton, Bill Clinton, who got a half a million dollar speech. It is the Clintons who got money for the Clinton Foundation from Russia. It is — it is Podesta who was on a Russian company advisory board that was apparently funded by Putin.

So the news media’s one-sidedness is the worst I’ve seen in my lifetime, and I’m old enough that’s a fairly long statement.