You’d better not miss a chance to bash Putin, but it’s okay to praise Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the brutal ruler of Egypt who has killed and jailed — indefinitely and without charge — many people, including opposition journalists and members of the Muslim Brotherhood.
“President Trump vowed support of Egypt’s hard-line government Monday as part of what he described as mutual efforts to defeat terrorism and violent extremist groups, USA Today reported. “‘We are very much behind Egypt and the people of Egypt,’ Trump told Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to the White House. ‘You have a great friend and ally in the United States and in me.'”
General Sisi took power when the democratically elected president, Muhamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, was driven from power by the military with some public support. Morsi had been elected after a popular uprising against long-time military dictator Hosni Mubarak. The Obama administration’s criticism of Morsi was widely interpreted as support for Morsi’s ouster, but President Obama also spoke out against a military takeover. Morsi and others were arrested, charged on a variety of counts ranging from murder to treason to torture to incitement to violence and sentenced to death. The sentence was overturned, but he was separately sentenced to life in prison.
Sisi faced no opposition when he was “elected” president. The U.S. gives $1.5 billion a year in military aid to Egypt, but by law must suspend the aid in the event of a military coup. The Obama administration did not label the takeover as a coup and made only a token suspension of some aid. (See this for more on Obama’s relationship with Sisi’s regime.)
