Pelosi suggests Putin is behind wave of anti-Israel protests in US

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin may be stealthily inflaming the wave of anti-Israel demonstrations sweeping the US.

The Democratic congresswoman from California — noting that she has had anti-Israel demonstrators outside her home “all the time” — drew attention to how Putin has backed calls for a cease-fire similar to many of the protesters.

“Make no mistake, this is directly connected to what he would like to see,” Pelosi told CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“I think some of these protesters are spontaneous and organic and sincere. Some, I think, are connected to Russia,” she claimed. “I think some financing should be investigated.”

But the 83-year-old pol downplayed the risks to President Biden in the general election, positing that many of the young people participating in them still care about LGBTQ issues, preserving the planet and gun control.

“We’re going to have a message of values for our country, and we’re going to have the resources to get the job done,” she said.

Ever since the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, surprise Hamas attack on Israel, a schism has emerged among Democrats over the war, with some progressives wanting Biden to be supportive of the Palestinians.

The Palestinian death toll has blown past 26,000, according to the latest figures from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry. Over 1,300 Israelis have died both from the bloody October attack and the protracted fighting on the ground, according to the government.

Meanwhile, Pelosi also threw her weight behind Biden as he backed a Senate compromise border security package. Despite hoping for broader migrant reforms such as a path to citizenship and protection for Dreamers, she argued the deal is a step in the right direction.

“This legislation is a compromise. It’s a negotiation,” she contended. “Everybody doesn’t have everything his or her own way. And this is really important.”

At one point, CNN host Dana Bash pressed the Golden State Democrat about a gaffe in which former President Donald Trump mixed her up with his Republican rival Nikki Haley.

Pelosi largely sidestepped the question about Trump’s mental cognitive abilities. Both Trump and President Biden’s allies have traded barbs with each other about the acuity of the two men.

“Anybody can get a name mixed up. Seven times is kind of a lot. But the fact is, he was lying about the fact that he would not send the National Guard to the Capitol,” Pelosi replied, drawing attention to Trump’s remarks over the Jan. 6 riots in 2021

Trump had said at a rally in New Hampshire that “Nikki Haley was in charge of security” during the time of the riot. She was not.

When pressed further about Trump’s mental faculties, Pelosi again demurred, staying put on policy disagreements.

At 81, Biden is the oldest president in US history and would be 86 at the conclusion of a second possible term in office.

Trump, 77, would be past 81 by the time he served out a potential second term.