President Trump's executive order instituting travel and immigration restrictions on people from predominantly Muslim countries is a perhaps indelible stain on the moral fabric of the United States. It is also, as Seth Meyers pointed out last night, a glowing advertisement for the stunning incompetence of the current administration. The rollout of the EO at airports was Healthcare.gov-level sloppy, creating chaos at the nation's biggest transit hubs. Even some of the highest-ranking members of Trump's team—including Chief of Staff Reince Priebus—seemed genuinely bewildered when asked about its specifics:

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Not only that, but Trump advisors are undermining the administration's line that the order is not a Muslim ban like the one Trump promised during the campaign. Rudy Giuliani, the authoritarian Toby Turtle you never knew you needed, hopped on Fox News over the weekend to explain that he was part of a "commission" Trump tasked with finding a legal way to implement a Muslim ban. Like Newt Gingrich, Giuliani's new job is apparently to explain how and why the administration is taking us for a ride.

(As an aside, the clip Meyers dug up where Trump explains the glory of God by discussing the amazing real estate deal he made will someday feature in the Library of Congress.)

Of course, the real incompetence of the order is that it doesn't actually address terror threats. It repeatedly references the September 11 attacks, which were perpetrated by a team of 19 hijackers. 15 were from Saudi Arabia, while the rest hailed from Egypt, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates. None of these countries are targeted by the ban. Meanwhile, just 11 of 180 people charged with terrorism-related crimes since 2001 hailed from the targeted countries, according to The Wall Street Journal, none of whom participated in major plots that resulted in American deaths.

The total number of terror attacks in the United States committed by refugees is zero.

Oh, and actual experts—that is, people outside the administration—indicate that the ban will serve as a powerful recruiting tool for jihadists. When the narrative you're selling at-risk young Muslim men is that the West hates them, there are few better pieces to your argument than a U.S. ban on travel and immigration targeting Muslims. The ban could, in the end, cause more terror attacks—which Trump will almost certainly cite as reason for the ban, or for harsher measures.

From: Esquire US