Pelosi Calls for FBI to Investigate Pro-Palestine Protesters, Suggests Ties to Russia

Pelosi’s comments come as pro-Palestine protests have disrupted Democratic events, including her Seattle speech

Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) at the U.S. Capitol, on Dec. 22, 2022. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called on the FBI to investigate pro-Palestine protesters, as she believes some of them could have ties to Russia, given their demand for a Gaza ceasefire, which she refers to as “Mr. Putin’s message.”

“They’re in front of my house all the time. So I have a feeling for what feelings they have. But we have to think about what we’re doing. And what we have to do is try to stop the suffering and gossip. This is women and children. People don’t have a place to go. So let’s address that.

“But for them to call for a ceasefire is Mr. Putin’s message, Mr. Putin’s message. Make no mistake, this is directly connected to what he would like to see,” Ms. Pelosi said in a Jan. 28 interview with CNN.

“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.”

When asked whether she thinks some of the protesters are “Russian plants,” Ms. Pelosi said: “I don’t think they’re plants. I think some financing should be investigated. And I want to ask the FBI to investigate that.”

With the current Israel-Gaza conflict having exceeded 100 days, several activist groups have called for a ceasefire. The war was triggered after a Hamas attack on Oct. 7 killed thousands of innocent Israeli citizens and triggered a subsequent military campaign into Gaza by Israeli forces.

Pro-Palestine protesters have disrupted several Democrat events in recent weeks, including a speech from Ms. Pelosi in Seattle last week and multiple public appearances by President Joe Biden. During a recent campaign rally in Virginia, activists interrupted President Biden’s speech, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

‘Deeply Disturbed’

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States, condemned Ms. Pelosi’s statements.

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

Defending Ms. Pelosi’s comments, a spokesperson for the Democrat lawmaker pointed to an X post by political scientists and Columbia University Professor Ian Bremmer who said that “Putin benefits from continued war in Gaza and expanded chaos in the Middle East.”

The spokesperson claimed that “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,” according to The New York Times.

Advantage Russia

Russia could benefit from the Israel-Gaza conflict in multiple ways. For one, the conflict could force the United States to divert its focus and resources to the Middle East. The diversion could potentially weaken U.S. support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, according to an analysis by the Lowy Institute.

Back in October, President Biden proposed a $105 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and the U.S. southern border. However, the proposal is stuck in Congress as the two parties fight over the scope and the priority of funding, thus raising questions as to how much the United States could financially support Ukraine in the future.

In a Dec. 12 post from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Nikita Smagin, an expert on Iran with the Russian International Affairs Council, stated that Washington’s pro-Israel stance could undermine the legitimacy of the West’s support for Ukraine among many countries.

Any moral argument against Moscow’s Ukraine invasion may now seem like “empty words,” especially for nations in the Middle East, he wrote.

Tensions in the Middle East also provide support for oil prices. This is crucial for Russia as the country heavily depends on its oil export revenues. Elevated oil prices would dampen the West’s attempts to financially squeeze Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

In mid-January, Russia pinned the conflict in Gaza on the United States, with Moscow’s U.N. ambassador Vasily Nebenzya claiming that the “American side has essentially given [Israel] a license to kill and now bears full responsibility for every new victim of the conflict.”

Mr. Nebenzya’s comments came after the United States vetoed two draft resolutions in the United Nations which called for a ceasefire.

However, not everything in the Israel-Gaza conflict may work in Moscow’s favor, as changing scenarios could end up putting a strain on the country.

“Russia benefits from a localized and protracted conflict between Israel and Hamas that’s confined to Gaza, but if the conflict yet opens up in multiple other fronts [like] Syria or Iraq or Lebanon, then it could become a very problematic development for the Russians,” Samuel Ramani, a geopolitical analyst and associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute think tank, said in an interview with CNBC back in October.

“It could present an opportunity for them but also could present a very, very disastrous outcome for their influence in the Middle East too if the conflict spirals out of control.”