President Donald Trump has directed his staff to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a terror group, a move that would impose severe travel and economic sanctions on partners and others who associate with the group.
The plan was first reported April 30 by the New York Times which noted that the policy dictate followed an April 9 White House visit by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. The sanctions imposed would reportedly 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.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders confirmed the Trump administration is preparing such a designation.
“The president has consulted with his national security team and leaders in the region who share his concern, and this designation is working its way through the internal process,” Sanders said in a statement to the Times.
According to the published report, el-Sisi urged Trump to take action against one of his political adversaries. El-Sisi was elected president in 2014, a year after leading a coup against former president Mohamed Morsi, a leader in the Muslim Brotherhood. Some observers say the terror designation would give el-Sisi more latitude in cracking down on the organization.
While the move would benefit el-Sisi, such a declaration could be tricky since membership in the Muslim…
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