U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., mentioned she believes that some protesters demanding a Gaza cease-fire could also be backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Pelosi is pictured in dialog at The 92nd Street Y on Oct. 16, 2023, in New York.

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U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., mentioned she believes that some protesters demanding a Gaza cease-fire could also be backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Pelosi is pictured in dialog at The 92nd Street Y on Oct. 16, 2023, in New York.

Andy Kropa/Invision/AP

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Sunday prompt that some protesters calling for a cease-fire in Gaza could possibly be linked to Russia and urged the FBI to analyze.

In an interview with anchor Dana Bash on CNN’s State of the Union, the previous House speaker mentioned, with out providing proof, that she believed some protesters are related to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“For them to call for a cease-fire is Mr. Putin’s message,” she mentioned. “Make no mistake, this is directly connected to what he would like to see. Same thing with Ukraine. It’s about Putin’s message. I think some of these protesters are spontaneous and organic and sincere. Some, I think, are connected to Russia. And I say that having looked at this for a long time now, as you know.”

Asked for clarification on whether or not she thought some anti-war protesters had been vegetation, Pelosi mentioned: “I don’t think they’re plants. I think some financing should be investigated. And I want to ask the FBI to investigate that.”

The congresswoman’s feedback got here in response to questions on whether or not she was involved about challenges to prepare Democrats given voters’ anger over President Biden’s help for Israel in its conflict in opposition to Hamas in Gaza and his refusal to name for a cease-fire.

Since the Oct. 7 Hamas assault on Israel, Israeli assaults have killed greater than 26,000 Palestinians, in line with Gaza well being officers, most of whom are ladies and youngsters, and displaced about 85% of people within the territory. Hamas militants killed some 1,200 individuals in Israel within the Oct. 7 assault and seized some 250 hostages, about 100 of whom are nonetheless alive and being held, in line with Israeli officers.

“What we have to do is try to stop the suffering and gossip,” Pelosi mentioned. “This is women and children. People don’t have a place to go. So let’s address that.”

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim advocacy group, condemned Pelosi’s feedback as “unsubstantiated smears” that the group mentioned echoes messaging meant to dehumanize Palestinian individuals.

“We are deeply disturbed by Former House Speaker Pelosi’s comments,” CAIR’s nationwide govt director Nihad Awad said in a statement. “Rep. Pelosi’s claim that some of the Americans protesting for a Gaza ceasefire are working with Vladmir Putin sounds delusional and her call for the FBI to investigate those protesters without any evidence is downright authoritarian.”

In response to NPR’s request for remark, a spokesperson for Rep. Pelosi stood by her feedback, including that Pelosi has at all times supported the correct of Americans to precise their views by peaceable protest.

“As Speaker Pelosi said on CNN, we have to focus on stopping the suffering in Gaza, and she will continue demanding that all hostages be freed now,” the spokesperson mentioned in an emailed assertion. “Informed by three decades on the House Intelligence Committee, Speaker Pelosi is acutely aware of how foreign adversaries meddle in American politics to sow division and impact our elections, and she wants to see further investigation ahead of the 2024 election.”