Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is working to pass legislation that would label the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization.
Along with Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.), the presidential candidate on Tuesday introduced legislation calling on the Obama administration to designate the Islamic political group as a terrorist organization.
The bill, called the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act, comes after a string of evidence suggests the group supports terrorism, Cruz said.
“As this bill details, the Brotherhood’s stated goal is to wage violent jihad against its enemies and our legislation is a reality check that the United States is on that list as well,” Cruz said in a statement Wednesday.
The Obama administration has already placed some members of the group on its terror list and imposed special restrictions preventing American from dealing with them.
“Now we can reject the fantasy that their parent institution is a political entity that is somehow separate from these violent activities,” Cruz added.
The group has been a target of conservatives who say the group is a breeding ground for radical Islam. In 2014, former Rep. Michele Bachman (R-Minn.) led a similar effort that ultimately failed to reach President Obama’s desk.
Bachman also claimed that longtime Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin had links to the group, a claim that was condemned by lawmakers of both sides.
The legislation would not immediately label the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. Rather it would express a “sense of Congress,” that the group meets the criteria and give the State Department 60 days to explain whether or not it agrees.
If the State Department disagree it would have to provide a “detailed justification as to which criteria have not been met,” the bill states.
Along with Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.), the presidential candidate on Tuesday introduced legislation calling on the Obama administration to designate the Islamic political group as a terrorist organization.
The bill, called the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act, comes after a string of evidence suggests the group supports terrorism, Cruz said.
“As this bill details, the Brotherhood’s stated goal is to wage violent jihad against its enemies and our legislation is a reality check that the United States is on that list as well,” Cruz said in a statement Wednesday.
The Obama administration has already placed some members of the group on its terror list and imposed special restrictions preventing American from dealing with them.
“Now we can reject the fantasy that their parent institution is a political entity that is somehow separate from these violent activities,” Cruz added.
The group has been a target of conservatives who say the group is a breeding ground for radical Islam. In 2014, former Rep. Michele Bachman (R-Minn.) led a similar effort that ultimately failed to reach President Obama’s desk.
Bachman also claimed that longtime Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin had links to the group, a claim that was condemned by lawmakers of both sides.
The legislation would not immediately label the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. Rather it would express a “sense of Congress,” that the group meets the criteria and give the State Department 60 days to explain whether or not it agrees.
If the State Department disagree it would have to provide a “detailed justification as to which criteria have not been met,” the bill states.