White House Blasts Egypt for Morsi Death Sentence

The White House is blasting Egypt for upholding the death sentence of former President Mohamed Morsi.

"We are deeply troubled by the politically motivated sentences that have been handed down against former President Morsi and several others by an Egyptian court today," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Tuesday.

An Egyptian court confirmed the death sentence of the ousted Muslim Brotherhood leader Tuesday.

"We are concerned that proceedings have been conducted in a way that is not only contrary to universal values but also damaging to stability that all Egyptians deserve," Earnest said.

The same judge also sentenced Morsi to life in prison over charges of conspiring with foreign groups, like Hamas.

Egyptian courts have handed out hundreds of similar sentences against Islamists in mass trials since Morsi's 2013 overthrow.