House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is facing criticism for a bizarre email she sent for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on Friday that said special counsel Robert Mueller had been "fired."

The email to subscribers was sent just as at least 800 "semi-spontaneous" protests are being coordinated across the U.S., and at least one police commander has warned his officers to keep their riot gear handy in case President Trump fires Mueller. The Pittsburgh commander warned that the move "would result in a large protest within 24 hours" and said the protest "would be semi-spontaneous and more than likely to happen on short notice."

The subject of Rep. Pelosi's email was "Mueller FIRED."

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But when recipients clicked on the message, the email itself simply condemned the president based on speculation that he might fire Mueller – not that the president had actually done so.

"I'm so furious I can barely write this email," she wrote. "President Trump is inches away from firing Robert Mueller and derailing the entire Russia investigation."

Rep. Pelosi also accused Republican leaders of "actively HELPING" the president in his purported effort to fire Mueller and impede the FBI probe into alleged collusion with Russia.

"They're jeopardizing our democracy, our national security, and the safety of every election we hold," the email stated. "Frankly, they can't be trusted."

Then the message requested money, indicating Rep. Pelosi wants "a MASSIVE 24-hour fundraising surge to send them a powerful message: If they let Trump fire Mueller, we'll kick each and EVERY one of them out of office." Recipients were provided a donation button that would "immediately" send donations of $1, $35, $50, $100, $250 or other amounts to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

WND's request for comment from the DCCC hadn't been returned at the time of this report.

Rep. Pelosi's fundraising email was not well received, even among reporters at left-leaning news outlets such as Vox.com and MSNBC.

MSNBC correspondent Garrett Haake posted a copy of the email from Rep. Pelosi to Twitter along with the question, "Who at the [Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee] thought this clickbait email subject line was a good idea?"

Vice politics writer Eve Peyser tweeted, "The DCCC needs to stop sending out emails with fake news as the subject line."

Vox.com reporter Dara Lind added, "The DCCC's subject lines may not have contributed to the fake news crisis, but damned if they help."

The email claiming Mueller had been fired was sent at a particularly touchy moment, just as law enforcement authorities are reportedly concerned about civil unrest, and even riots, in the event that the special counsel is fired.

As WND reported Wednesday, Pittsburgh police were apparently instructed to keep their riot gear handy in the event that a Mueller firing triggered protests. Detectives in the city received emails warning them to be prepared for "potential large scale protest" in Pittsburgh, according to WTAE reporter Marcie Cipriani.

Cipriani posted the following email from Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Commander Victor Joseph on Twitter Wednesday:

All, We have received information of a potential large scale protest in the Central Business District. There is a belief that President Trump will soon move to fire Special Prosecutor Mueller. This would result in a large protest within 24 hours of the firing. The protest would be semi-spontaneous and more than likely to happen on short notice. Based on this information, beginning tomorrow, April 19, 2018, all Major Crimes detectives are required to bring a full uniform and any issued protective equipment (riot gear) with them to work until further notice. We may be needed to assist in the event that there is a large scale protest.

Police department spokesman Chris Togneri confirmed to Newsweek that the email is authentic.

As many as 300,000 Americans have signed up to protest if President Trump does fire Mueller, according to The Hill. MoveOn.org has coordinated at least 800 gatherings across the nation. The group says a White House decision to terminate Mueller would trigger a constitutional crisis.

"Our response in the hours following a potential power grab will dictate what happens next – whether Congress will stand up to Trump or allow him to move our democracy toward authoritarianism," MoveOn.org states.

"That's why we're preparing to hold emergency 'Nobody Is Above the Law' rallies around the country, in the event they are needed – 800+ of them and counting, in every state, with 300,000 RSVPs to date!"

At a press conference Wednesday evening, President Trump didn't say specifically that he won't fire Mueller or Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general who is overseeing the investigation. He told reporters: "They've been saying I'm going to get rid of them for the last three months, four months, five months, and they’re still here. So we want to get the investigation over with, done with. Put it behind us."

Rep. Pelosi has been in the news in recent months due to concerns about her health as she has stumbled and appeared to be at a loss for words at a number of public appearances. The minority leader is expected to be a front-runner for the speaker position if Democrats take control of the U.S. House in November.