Nancy Pelosi went on CNN’s State of the Union Sunday and insulted tens of millions of Democratic voters—and millions of potential Democratic voters who are critical to the party’s prospects in 2024 presidential and congressional races—with a rant against supporters of a cease-fire in Gaza that revealed the scorching ignorance of top Democrats regarding widespread and sincere opposition to Israel’s assault on the Palestinian enclave.
Pelosi appeared on the Sunday morning show with the apparent intent of talking up President Biden’s reelection bid. But she did Biden no favors with comments that suggested she simply does not comprehend the depth of opposition within her own party to Israel’s bombing and invasion of Gaza, which has killed more than 25,000 Palestinians over the past three months. Pelosi contended that critics of the Biden administration’s steady support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war are Russian dupes, or worse. She even urged the FBI to investigate anti-war protesters.
Responding to a question about cease-fire protests that have interrupted events featuring Biden—and about the prospect that anger over the administration’s support for Netanyahu and the war might lead to a drop-off in support for Democrats among Arab Americans, young people, and progressives—Pelosi began on a dismissive note. The former speaker told host Dana Bash that she had “been the recipient of their, shall we say, exuberances, and it’s as recently as in Seattle on Thursday, unfortunately wanted to disrupt our very exciting Democratic meeting there. They’re in front of my house all the time. So I have a feeling for what feelings they have.” Then, after expressing a measure of sympathy for Gazans who are “suffering” and “don’t have any place to go,” Pelosi smeared the activists who want to end that suffering.
“But for them to call for a cease-fire is Mr. Putin’s message, Mr. Putin’s message,” said Pelosi.
Bash interrupted to make sure she was hearing Pelosi right. “You think some of these protests are Russian plants?” asked the host.
“I don’t think they’re plants,” said Pelosi. “I think some financing should be investigated. And I want to ask the FBI to investigate that.”
Pelosi offered no corroboration to support her charge—beyond her vague comment that she had “looked at this for a long time”—and Bash did not follow up. It fell to other news outlets to point out that the former speaker’s remarks came from out of left field. “Pelosi’s comments marked the first time a prominent US lawmaker has accused Russia’s leader of backing US protesters calling for a ceasefire,” explained Reuters, which noted that her claims were made “without offering evidence.” Veteran Los Angeles Times international correspondent Megan Stack, who is now a New York Times commentator, was blunter. “Having covered both Russia and Israel for years, having written very directly about the malignity of Putin’s government and the horrors of his wars on Ukraine and Georgia as well as this blood-drenched onslaught on Gaza,” said Stack, “I find this [claim] from Pelosi nauseating.”
Law professor Zephyr Teachout, a former Democratic congressional candidate, expressed concern that Pelosi was out of touch with the current debate, saying, “This is obviously nonsense, but more worrying because it reflects a deep structure of wrongness, of wrong understanding.”
Yet the discussion inspired immediate headlines, announcing, “Pelosi suggests some pro-Palestinian protesters are connected to Russia,” and “Nancy Pelosi seeks FBI probe into protesters seeking cease-fire in Gaza.”
