GOP demands Pelosi back CIA claims

WASHINGTON, May 18 (UPI) -- Republican critics of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi say she should produce evidence of her claims the CIA lied to her about waterboarding detainees.

Pelosi, a California Democrat, has claimed that when she was briefed by the CIA on such "enhanced interrogation techniques" in September 2002, she was told they were not being used, only to find out from other lawmakers the next year that waterboarding had indeed been used on terrorism suspects.

U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, demanded Monday on CNN that if Pelosi's accusations are not true, she may need to step down, adding: "She made some outrageous accusations last week where she said that the CIA lied to her and lied systematically over a period of years. That is a very, very serious charge."

House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, also demanded that Pelosi provide evidence to support her accusations, telling the U.S. broadcaster, "If the speaker is accusing the CIA and other intelligence officials of lying or misleading the Congress, then she should come forward with evidence and turn that over to the Justice Department so they can be prosecuted."