Key Democratic senator considers blocking aid to Egypt
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, refers to Egypt's "appalling abuse of the justice system" on the same day US Secretary of State John Kerry meets with Egypt's Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy.
A $1.5 billion aid package for Egypt stalled in Congress on Tuesday, with a key senator vowing to block $650 million in previously announced military aid and House members putting the State Department on notice that they'll strenuously object to future assistance if next month's presidential election isn't free and fair.
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the chairman of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, took to the floor of the Senate to express his "growing dismay" at the death sentences handed down on hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood supporters. Meanwhile, Republicans and Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee's Middle East panel made it clear that they think future aid should be frozen if the upcoming elections are a sham.
