Democrats Refuse to Attend Cruz Hearing on Muslim Brotherhood’s U.S. Network

Democratic senators said they would boycott a Republican-led examination of the Muslim Brotherhood and possible terrorist designation, accusing the GOP of exploiting the issue to divide voters.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

Senate Democrats declined to participate Wednesday in a hearing organized by Sen. Ted Cruz examining the Muslim Brotherhood’s activities in the United States and proposals to formally designate the organization as a terrorist group.

Cruz, a Texas Republican, convened the hearing under the title “Hidden in Plain Sight: Confronting the Muslim Brotherhood Network in America.” Republican lawmakers at both the state and federal levels have increasingly called for official action against the organization, including a terrorist designation.

Democratic senators announced their boycott in a joint statement, arguing that the hearing was intended to provoke political and religious divisions rather than address a legitimate national security concern.

“Scapegoating Muslims may be a Texas Republican strategist’s idea of ‘solid gold’ to whip up their voters, but Democrats have no intention of indulging this political creepshow, particularly after the recent violence targeting places of faith,” the senators said, according to Jewish Breaking News.

“Our focus is the costs families face thanks to rampant, non-stop Trump corruption,” they added.

Cruz said the Democratic decision not to attend was predictable.

Asked by Jewish Insider about the boycott, Cruz responded, “Of course they are.”

The hearing was expected to examine the Muslim Brotherhood’s network and influence inside the United States while considering whether the organization meets the criteria for a federal terrorist designation.

Scheduled witnesses included Lara Burns, a former FBI special agent and senior research fellow with George Washington University’s Program on Extremism; Arielle Klepach, senior counsel at the National Jewish Advocacy Center; and Kyle Shideler, senior analyst for homeland security and counterterrorism at the Center for Security Policy.

The boycott leaves Republicans to conduct the hearing without participation from Democratic members, underscoring the partisan divide over how the federal government should characterize and respond to the Muslim Brotherhood.