Washington (CNN) Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Sunday waded into the rift between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a group of progressive freshmen lawmakers, stating that Pelosi ought to "bring them in" rather than "alienate them."

"You cannot ignore the young people of this country who are passionate about economic and racial and social and environmental justice," the Vermont Senator told NBC's Chuck Todd on "Meet The Press." "You got to bring them in, not alienate them."

When pressed on whether Pelosi had been too tough on the group, Sanders said," I think a little bit."

The House Democrats -- often referred to on Capitol Hill as "the squad" -- includes Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts. Tension between the group and Pelosi has spilled into the public eye in recent weeks with Ocasio-Cortez stating that Pelosi has been "singling out" freshmen congresswomen of color

"When these comments first started, I kind of thought that she was keeping the progressive flank at more of an arm's distance in order to protect more moderate members, which I understood," Ocasio-Cortez told The Washington Post in an interview published last week.