Former Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum asserted on Sunday that President Donald Trump's conspiracy theory about FISA abuses in the Obama administration will have a larger impact on the election than impeachment.

"I think in the end, it's a loser for the Democrats," Santorum insisted on CNN's State of the Union program. "The way that Nancy Pelosi has handled this has been -- showed that it's overtly political."

"The point that was just made by [Mia Love] is accurate," he continued, "which is, this is all about hurting Donald Trump before the election. There was no chance that Donald Trump was going to be removed from president. It's clear that it's a purely political operation."

"And I think people will view it in that lens," Santorum said. "And I think by the time that the November election comes around, I think the issues with the FBI and what happened with FISA and what happened with the original [Russia] investigation are going to be a lot more important issue for the American public than impeachment."