NEW YORK—United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio in an interview Tuesday, August 12, with Sid Rosenburg of “Sid and Friends in the Morning,” disclosed that the U.S. is “in the process” of designating both the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR terrorist organizations.
During Tuesday’s interview, Rubio and Sid discussed Osama bin Laden’s death (2011), Colombia’s political violence, drug cartels and Venezuela, Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR, D.C. crime and National Guard deployment, International Conflict Resolution, China as a global threat, Israel-Hamas conflict, European countries’ stance on Israel, and Senate delays in confirming President Donald J Trump’s political appointments.
When discussing about designating drug cartels as terrorist organizations, Sid inquired why the Trump administration hasn’t assigned that same designation to CAIR and/or the Muslim Brotherhood. Rubio began his response with, “all of that is in the works.”
Below is an excerpt from the full transcript posted on the State Department’s website of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s interview with Sid Rosenberg of “Sid and Friends in the Morning” show of related to designating the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as terrorist organizations:
SID ROSENBERG: “Yeah, that’s right. So while we talk about designating the cartels, Marco, as a terrorist organization, I got to ask you: Why wouldn’t you guys designate the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR? I just – I look at these organizations, I have a mayor’s race here in New York City with this psycho, this lunatic Mamdani. Both of these groups you know are behind him, especially the Muslim Brotherhood. Is that something you think we can count on maybe in the near future? Maybe not CAIR just yet, but certainly the Muslim Brotherhood?”
SECRETARY RUBIO: “Yeah, all of that is in the works, and obviously there are different branches of the Muslim Brotherhood, so you’d have to designate each one of them. But let me just tell you that there’s a process which I didn’t fully appreciate till I came into this job, and I know people don’t want to hear about processes, but because these things are going to be challenged in court, right? Any group can say, “Well, I’m not really a terrorist – that organization is not a terrorist organization,” so you have to show your – you have to show your – the paperwork. You have to show your work like the – like a math problem when you go before court.
“So we have to go through this process internally where you have to do the review, you have to document and justify what it is. You can know something is what it is, but you still got to go through it so that when someone comes back, as you’ve seen – they don’t hesitate to go to court now. We are tied up in hundreds and hundreds of lawsuits of every kind. All you need is one federal judge – and there are plenty – that are willing to do these nationwide injunctions and basically try to run the country from the bench. So we’ve got to be so careful.
“But all of those things are – that you just discussed, without getting into great detail because I can’t yet, are in the process. We are constantly reviewing for groups to designate for what they are: supporters of terrorists, maybe terrorists themselves, whatever it may be. We haven’t done this in a long time, so it’s – we’ve got a lot of catch-up to do. And you’ve mentioned a couple names, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood, that are of grave concern.”
U.S. House Republican Leadership Chairwoman Elise Stefanik released the following statement supporting designating the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization: “I strongly support the Trump administration in designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. Long overdue. Thank you President Trump for this important and decisive leadership to protect our national security.”
Being designated a terrorist organization by the United States means that the U.S. government, specifically the Department of State, has officially identified the group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
To be designated as an FTO, an organization must meet three criteria:
- Foreign Organization: The group must be based outside the United States or have significant operations abroad.
- Terrorist Activity: The group must engage in terrorist activities, such as attacks, bombings, kidnappings, or other acts intended to intimidate or coerce civilians, influence government policy through violence, or destabilize societies.
- Threat to U.S. Interests: The group’s activities must threaten the security of U.S. nationals or the national security of the United States, including its foreign policy, economic, or defense interests.
To be designated a terrorist organization by the U.S., the State Department, often in consultation with the Department of Justice, Treasury, and intelligence agencies, conducts a thorough review where evidence is compiled, including intelligence reports, public statements, and documented actions of the group.
The designation must be legally defensible, as it can be challenged in court (as noted in the interview with Secretary Rubio). Once approved, the designation is published in the Federal Register and takes effect immediately.
The designated terrorist organization’s assets in U.S. financial institutions are frozen and foreign banks and institutions that deal with the group may face U.S. sanctions. All U.S. persons and entities are prohibited from providing material support (e.g., funds, weapons, or resources) to the organization.
Members of the designated organization are barred from entering the United States and known members of the FTO in the U.S. may face arrest or deportation.
On January 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order 14157, titled “Designating Cartels and Other Organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists.” This order establishes a framework for designating certain international cartels and transnational criminal organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189) and/or Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) and Executive Order 13224.
The order declares a national emergency to address the extraordinary threat posed by these groups to U.S. national security, foreign policy, and the economy.
Author: Mario Lotmore
