Pelosi Claims Tea Party Hijacked by GOP

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (AP)

WASHINGTON -- The Tea Party movement is being orchestrated from Republican headquarters, so isn't truly a grassroots movement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday.

"The Republican Party directs a lot of what the Tea Party does, but not everybody in the Tea Party takes direction from the Republican Party. And so there was a lot of, shall we say, Astroturf, as opposed to grassroots," she said.

The San Francisco Democrat said she doesn't speak for tea partiers but agrees with those who say the recent Supreme Court decision allowing corporations and unions to contribute to political campaigns only empowers special interests.

"Some of it is hijacking the good intentions of lots of people who share some of our concerns that we have about -- about the role of special interests," Pelosi told ABC's "This Week."

"You know, we share some of the views of the Tea Partiers in terms of the role of special interest in Washington, D.C., as -- it just has to stop," she added.

The Tea Party movement marked its first anniversary this weekend, corresponding to growing protests over the $862 billion stimulus bill that passed without any House Republican support.