Jewish Group: Pelosi's 'Stormtrooper' Quip 'Offensive to Jews Across World'

The Conference of Jewish Affairs has called the use of the term "stormtroopers" by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., in reference to federal officers sent to Portland to quell violent protests in the city "offensive to Jews across the world."

Pelosi recently called agents from the Department of Homeland Security "stormtroopers" and claimed they were kidnapping people on the streets.

Pelosi tweeted:

"Unidentified stormtroopers. Unmarked cars. Kidnapping protesters and causing severe injuries in response to graffiti. These are not the actions of a democratic republic. @DHSgov's actions in Portland undermine its mission. Trump & his stormtroopers must be stopped."

The Conference of Jewish Affairs condemned the stormtrooper term as a "vile" insult toward federal officers helping to keep peace in the streets.

"Nancy Pelosi's deliberate use of the term 'stormtroopers' to describe America's homeland security officers quelling riots and protecting people in Portland is a vile accusation against our good officers and offensive to Jews across the world," Rabbi Aryeh Spero said in a statement. "Speaker Pelosi must know that the stormtroopers were Hitler's private regiment to round up innocent Jews and ship them off to concentration camps."

The rabbi joins a growing list of people who have criticized Pelosi's use of the term.

Customs and Border Patrol Commissioner Mark Morgan said Wednesday, "For her to refer to those men and women as stormtroopers, it's absolutely disgusting."

And earlier this week, DHS head Chad Wolf also rejected any reference of his officers as stormtroopers.

"They are civilian police officers; these police officers are not stormtroopers," he continued, adding during a Tuesday press conference he is "ready" to withdraw officers "if the violence stops."

Rabbi Spero said that type of inflammatory language should not be used by someone with such high political stature and influence.

"Over the last few years Speaker Pelosi's language has become dangerous, exploitative, and is designed to incite anger and perhaps violence within segments of our population," Rabbi Spero said. "Her temperament has become too off-the-wall for someone so close to the presidency."

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