President Trump has asked his administration to figure out a way to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, according to the Daily Caller.
The news was originally reported in the New York Times, and White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders has confirmed the reporting, telling the paper, “The president has consulted with his national security team and leaders in the region who share his concerns, and this designation is working its way through the internal process.”
The group is opposed to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi who asked President Trump during a meeting on April 9 to designate them as a terror organization.
The plan to label the group as a terrorist organization has the backing of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton, while others in the Pentagon disagree and are seeking a more “moderate” solution.
The Daily Caller notes, “Seven countries, including Russia and Saudi Arabia, have made the designation. The sanctions imposed would punish those who fund the group or provide banking services, and ban members or those with ties to the group from entering the United States.”
The designation would mark a stark contrast from the Obama administration, which invited Muslim Brotherhood leaders to President Obama’s infamous American apology speech in Cairo in 2009.
The Obama administration also invited Muslim Brotherhood leaders to the White House in 2012.
