Conservative activists call for Pelosi to step down

A group of prominent conservative activists is calling on Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to step down.

In a statement today, the group, which includes both social and economic conservatives, said Pelosi has crossed the line by accusing the CIA of lying to her about the use of enhanced interrogation techniques.

“When Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi accuses the intelligence community of lying, more is at stake than what she was told, who briefed her, or even the substance of the briefings she had with the CIA,” the statement said. “Speaker Pelosi is endangering the national security of the United States.”

The controversy over Pelosi’s knowledge of enhanced interrogation techniques peaked last week when the Speaker said the CIA had not been honest with her in a 2002 classified briefing. Since then, the flare-up has receded as Congress has focused on the administration’s policy for closing Guantanamo.

This statement is likely an effort by conservatives to keep the issue alive. They’d undoubtedly rather make Pelosi the face of Democrats’ national security policy than President Obama.

Among the signatories are Ed Meese, Attorney General in the Reagan Administration; Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform; Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council; and David Keene, Chairman of the American Conservative Union.

The group highlighted Pelosi’s proximity to power–she’s second in line to become President–and called for an investigation into her accusations.

“We ask that Speaker Pelosi voluntarily step aside from her duties, and that the Congress appoint a bi-partisan Select Intelligence Committee to investigate and determine what Speaker Pelosi knew and when she knew it,” the statement reads.

Pelosi has said her speakership is not in danger, and no Democrat has publicly called for her to step aside.

The signatories to the letter include:

Edwin Meese, former Attorney General
David Keene, Chairman, American Conservative Union
Frank J. Gaffney, President, Center for Security Policy
Wendy Wright, President, Concerned Women for America
Alfred Regnery, Publisher, American Spectator
Tony Perkins, President, Family Research Council
Grover Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform
Brent Bozell, President, Media Research Center
Richard Viguerie, Chairman, ConservativeHQ.com
Becky Norton Dunlop, President, Council for National Policy
William Wilson, President, Americans for Limited Government
Ken Blackwell, former U.S. Ambassador,
U.N. Human Rights Commission