Trump allies push back on Muslim Brotherhood terror designation
Even some hawkish lawmakers question the legal validity and political wisdom of a blanket designation.
Some of President Donald Trump’s closest allies on Capitol Hill and in right-leaning foreign policy circles are expressing skepticism over the president’s renewed push to label the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.
The pushback comes after The New York Times reported this week that Trump had requested his national security staff to look into designating the Islamist movement as a terrorist organization in April, at the request of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Arguments for and against the designation mirror those made when Trump was first elected after a campaign that focused largely on the perceived threat of political Islamism.
While leaders from both parties in Congress were cautious about immediately weighing in on the decision, several lawmakers warned against a blanket designation that would lump the various Muslim Brotherhood franchises throughout the region together as one homogenous entity.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch, R-Idaho, a staunch Trump ally, called for a “well-thought through and well-vetted” process before any designation in an interview with Bloomberg today.
