Brotherhood Supporters Advising Obama Administration?

By Erick Stakelbeck

CBN News Terrorism Analyst

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

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WASHINGTON -- Egypt acknowledged the danger of the Muslim Brotherhood by recently labeling it a terrorist organization and banning its activities.

In the United States, however, the Brotherhood seems to be alive and kicking. Some of its supporters even hold influential positions in the Obama administration.

A provocative statement by one of those alleged supporters created a firestorm recently because of its contents and the author's government role.

US Islamically Compliant?
"I do consider the United States an Islamic country with an Islamically compliant constitution," Mohammed Elibiary wrote on his Twitter account.

The tweet raised eyebrows thanks to Elibiary's senior role on the Department of Homeland Security Advisory Council, where he helps craft America's counterterrorism policies.

It's a position one analyst says Elibiary is not fit to hold.

"He goes to bat for the Muslim Brotherhood," Ryan Mauro, a national security analyst for the Clarion Project, said. "He is passionate that they are the moderate good guys that the U.S. needs to ally with."

Mauro, who has interviewed Elibiary at length, says the senior Homeland Security adviser staunchly supports the radical Muslim Brotherhood.

"He had the symbol [on his Twitter account] that was most closely associated with the Muslim Brotherhood from when the Egyptian military cracked down on them," Mauro told CBN News, referring to the four-fingered "R4bia" salute used by Brotherhood backers.

"All the Muslim Brotherhood supporters had a specific sign that they put up on their Twitter and their Facebook pages and he was right along with them," he said.

Elibiary has praised Muslim Brotherhood icon and al Qaeda favorite Sayyid Qutb and spoke at a 2004 event honoring Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini.

Brotherhood Security Leak
In addition, CBN News reported in 2011 that Elibiary stood accused of leaking sensitive government documents to the media.

In light of those charges, Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, pressed former Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano in a heated exchange.

"Are you saying before this Congress right now that it is a lie that Mohammed Elibiary downloaded material from a classified website using the secret security clearance that you gave him?" Gohmert asked. "Are you saying that's a lie?"

"I am saying that is inaccurate, that is correct," Napolitano responded. "He, as far as I know, did not download classified documents…what bothers me, quite frankly, are the allegations against anyone who happens to be Muslim."

"The allegations are not because he's Muslim," Gohmert replied.

It is still unclear whether any formal investigation of Elibiary actually took place at DHS. What is clear is Elibiary's recent promotion at the agency.

"In September 2013 he was promoted," Mauro explained. "So he not only is an official adviser - he's one of the select advisers in that group to influence policy."

Elibiary declined CBN News's request for an interview and the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to our request for comment.

More Brotherhood Ties

Elibiary is not the only Obama administration adviser who's been tied to the Muslim Brotherhood.

"There's lots of evidence that the president of the United States personally takes counsel from Mohammed Magid," national security expert Frank Gaffney told CBN News. "And that means the enemy is inside the wire."

Magid has reportedly met with President Barack Obama to advise him on immigration and counterterrorism policy. He also sits on a Department of Homeland Security working group on "violent extremism."

Yet Gaffney, who's president of the Center for Security Policy in Washington, D.C., told CBN News that the organization Magid leads has troublesome ties.

"He is the president of the largest Muslim Brotherhood front organization in the United States-the Islamic Society of North America," Gaffney said.

In 2007, federal prosecutors named ISNA as an unindicted co-conspirator in the largest terrorism financing trial in American history. The defendants were convicted of funding the terror group Hamas.

Magid's group was also mentioned in secret Muslim Brotherhood documents uncovered by the FBI.

"The very first group listed on this Muslim Brotherhood strategic plan was the Islamic Society of North America," Gaffney told CBN News.

Despite ISNA's radical track record, Obama delivered a video address at the group's annual summit this year praising ISNA's work.

Meanwhile, one leading Egyptian newspaper recently claimed that the Brotherhood is stepping up its efforts to infiltrate the United States. It identified what it says are 30 Brotherhood operatives who are currently conducting influence operations on U.S. soil.