Vermont State Senator, Patrick Leahy, claimed on Tuesday that he would not "approve sending funds to the Egyptian military" due to a "sham trial". Leahy was referencing an Egyptian court's decision to sentence the Muslim Brotherhood's outlawed leader and 682 supporters to death.
The United State's and Egypt's relationship has been strained the past year due to the ousting of President Mohammed Morsi by Egyptian military. Each year Washington sends 1.5 billion dollars in military aid to Egypt, except if the government was brought to power via military coup--a law written by Leahy. After events in Cairo last year, the Obama administration finally cut off aid after months of deliberation. Leahy believes that the recent decision by the Egyptian court has shown that the country is not a democracy, but a dictatorship "run amok". He believes they should not receive the 650 million dollars in additional aid because of this reason.
There has been no response to Leahy's comments by the State Department, White House, or the Pentagon. However, John Kerry has stated he will be discussing the judicial decision with Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy.
Tess Godhardt
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/29/us-aid-egypt-patrick-leahy-sham-trial
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