U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh, who was recently criticized for saying the national debate over birth control coverage is “not about women,” issued a statement Friday calling on President Barack Obama to “distance himself” from the Muslim Brotherhood.
The statement comes after the Egyptian political group met with “mid-level officials from the U.S. National Security Agency” on Thursday, Voice of America reports. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney defended the meetings, saying that the administration is meeting with many political groups as Egypt’s “political sitiuation evolves” following President Hosni Mubarak departure.
“I call on the President not to meet with or recognize groups that do not respect women’s rights and basic freedoms,” Walsh said in a statement, adding that the group has one of the “worst women’s rights records in the Middle East.”
GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum has also criticized the Obama administration’s relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood, accusing the president of a willingness to “jump in bed” with the group during conflicts in Libya and Egypt.
