More recently, he signaled support for Libyan warlord Khalifa Hifter, who is trying to topple the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli — and was opposed by the United States until Mr. Trump was lobbied by Egyptian strongman Abdel Fatah al-Sissi. Now the White House has disclosed that it is seeking to implement another one of Mr. Sissi’s asks: the designation of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. Mr. Sissi, who in 2013 led a coup against a democratically elected Muslim Brotherhood government, has been seeking such a U.S. action for years. The real objection of the Egyptians and Saudis to the Muslim Brotherhood is this affinity for democracy. If Mr. Trump has a rationale, other than offering another freebie to a favored autocrat, he has yet to articulate it.

Source: Washington Post May 03, 2019 22:51 UTC