Mr. Eldin goes to Washington

Minnesota Sixth District Rep. Michele Bachmann has been under fire lately for her letters to the Inspectors General raising concerns about the possible involvement of the Muslim Brotherhood in activities of the United States government. You’ve probably heard about the heat she’s taken from John McCain and John Boehner for raising concerns specifically about Hillary Clinton deputy chief of staff Huma Abedin, just to mention two fellow Republicans who have weighed in on Michele’s concerns. (Our own Paul Mirengoff judiciously assessed the Abedin matter here. See also Andrew McCarthy’s assessment here.)

You might not heave heard, however, of one Hani Nour Eldin. I hadn’t until I heard Michele speak to our chapter of the Republican Jewish Coalition this past Monday. I had missed the reports of Eli Lake and Tom Joscelyn on Eldin’s visit this past June. Toward the end of her remarks, Michele discussed the State Department’s decision to provide a visa to Eldin, a member of an Egyptian designated terrorist group. Eldin was not only granted a visa to enter the United States, arguably in violation of federal law. Better yet, he was also also granted a meeting inside the White House with National Security Council officials.

Eldin used the opportunity of his White House visit to call for the release of the the Blind Sheikh, currently serving a life sentence for his role in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. In her remarks, Michele cites the related testimony of Janet Napolitano before the House Homeland Security Committee, reported here. You might not have heard about that either.

What’s happening here? Michele fairly observes: “The world has turned upside down under the Obama administration.”

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