House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday said she supports an investigation into groups opposing the building of a mosque near ground zero in New York.
Pelosi told San Francisco’s KCBS radio that “there is no question there is a concerted effort to make this a political issue by some.”
“I join those who have called for looking into how is this opposition to the mosque being funded,” she said. “How is this being ginned up?”
Republicans have signaled that they will try to turn the mosque into a campaign issue, and nearly all of the leading national Republicans have weighed in against the mosque's construction.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid broke with President Barack Obama recently in voicing opposition to the mosque, but Pelosi indicated support for the cultural center.
“I think everybody respects the right in our country to express their religious beliefs on their own property,” she said.
Still, Pelosi said she’d like to see the issue determined by New Yorkers and slip off the national stage.
“In New York, I’m sure the New Yorkers would like to make their own urban development decisions themselves,” she said.
