Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-Ga., pictured above right) blasted Democratic senators and activists Friday for “playing whack-a-mole,” going from criticism to criticism of Judge Brett Kavanaugh on whatever topic seems most damaging to him.

“And I think it’s because, you know, when the Democrats failed on attacking him over sex, they switched to attacking him over drinking. When that started to fail, they switched to attacking him over his temperament,” Gingrich said during an interview on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends.”

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“So, in a sense, he is playing whack-a-mole, and he is answering the latest Democratic effort to undermine his nomination,” Gingrich said.

The former speaker of the house was reacting to Kavanaugh’s decision to pen an op-ed published late Thursday by The Wall Street Journal. In the op-ed, called “I Am an Independent, Impartial Judge,” Kavanaugh responded to criticism stemming from his emotional and heated testimony last week before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary.

Related: Advanced: Senate Nears Kavanaugh Confirmation Vote After Ending Debate

Both Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, who came forward publicly September 16, accusing Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her 36 years ago during a high school gathering in Maryland, testified before the committee last week.

Although both of their testimonies were widely viewed as credible and compelling, Kavanaugh fielded criticism for lashing out at Democratic senators who had been biased against him ever since he was nominated.

“I was very emotional last Thursday, more so than I have ever been. I might have been too emotional at times. I know that my tone was sharp, and I said a few things I should not have said,” Kavanaugh wrote.

“I hope everyone can understand that I was there as a son, husband and dad. I testified with five people foremost in my mind: my mom, my dad, my wife, and most of all my daughters.

“Going forward, you can count on me to be the same kind of judge and person I have been for my entire 28-year legal career: hardworking, even-keeled, open-minded, independent and dedicated to the Constitution and the public good,” Kavanaugh insisted. “I believe that an independent and impartial judiciary is essential to our constitutional republic.”

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Gingrich theorized that Kavanaugh felt the need to defend himself via the op-ed because of the “pushback” he received from Democratic senators.

“And he was trying to find a way to say, ‘Look, that was a unique moment in my life. My family and I have been smeared and attacked. And you are right, I was emotional because, frankly, I deeply, bitterly, resented my daughters and my wife being subject to this. But, on balance, my entire career as a judge has shown that I’m very, very neutral, very focused on the law, and very reliable,'” Gingrich said.

Also Friday, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway (above left) defended Kavanaugh on “Fox & Friends,” ripping “angry” liberal activists who have been “chasing down senators in the halls and screaming their heads off as if those men have personally and individually wronged them.”

Related: ‘Morning Joe’ Rejects Kavanaugh’s Defense Because He ‘Cried Like a Baby’ and ‘Raged’

“They don’t even stop and think about the 28 years of public service of Judge Kavanaugh. The majority of his 48 law clerks have been female. All of them are standing by him, and not all of them voted for Donald Trump, the president who has nominated Brett Kavanaugh,” Conway argued.

Conway, who told CNN host Jake Tapper Sunday on “State of the Union” that she, too, was sexually assaulted, urged her fellow sexual assault survivors to direct their anger at those who have actually wronged them.

“And let me just say something about those who are angry. I respect the fact that I live in a country where we can disagree. They are not disagreeing. They’re trying to destroy,” she said. “This is acrimony and anger that didn’t metastasize three weeks ago. Some of these women have been working on this and marinating in it for years.”

“Chasing down [Sens.] Orrin Hatch [R-Utah] and Chuck Grassley [R-Iowa]? Did they individually wrong these women? They can’t be held responsible for whatever man or men have wronged these women,” Conway insisted. “It’s really dangerous.”

President Donald Trump also rebuked the liberal activists Friday, tweeting, “The very rude elevator screamers are paid professionals only looking to make Senators look bad. Don’t fall for it! Also, look at all of the professionally made identical signs. Paid for by Soros and others. These are not signs made in the basement from love! #Troublemakers.”