Jump to content

White House Withdraws Arms Sale to Erdogan’s Security Detail


onjig

Recommended Posts

White House Officially Withdraws Proposed Arms Sale to Turkish President Erdogan’s Security Detail Administration Action Comes in the Wake of Strong Bipartisan Congressional Opposition

WASHINGTON— Responding to strong Congressional pressure, the Trump Administration has officially withdrawn its controversial proposal to allow the sale of U.S. semi-automatic handguns to Turkish President Recep Erdogan’s security detail, which, in May of this year, made international headlines by attacking peaceful American protesters in Washington, D.C., reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

aattack.png

White House Officially Withdraws Proposed Arms Sale to Turkish President Erdogan’s Security Detail

By Contributor on September 19, 2017 in Headline, News // 3 Comments // email_famfamfam.png // printer_famfamfam.gif

Administration Action Comes in the Wake of Strong Bipartisan Congressional Opposition

WASHINGTON— Responding to strong Congressional pressure, the Trump Administration has officially withdrawn its controversial proposal to allow the sale of U.S. semi-automatic handguns to Turkish President Recep Erdogan’s security detail, which, in May of this year, made international headlines by attacking peaceful American protesters in Washington, D.C., reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).


A screenshot from a video of the attack by Turkish security forces, captured by Voice of America’s Turkish service (Photo: Voice of America)

“We’re seeing the start of Turkey Arms Embargo 2.0,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “We welcome today’s decision by the White House as a reflection of a growing willingness among policymakers, diplomats, legislators from both parties, and the broader foreign policy community to openly challenge Turkey’s increasingly anti-American conduct.”

News of New Hampshire gun-maker Sig Sauer’s proposed plan to sell $1.2 million in semi-automatic handguns and ammunition to President Erdogan’s bodyguards was first reported by The New York Times reporter Nicholas Fandos. The request for Congressional review of the matter was submitted on the eve of the May 16 attack in front of the Turkish Ambassador’s residence in Washington, DC, videotaped live by the ANCA’s Hamparian; that attack sent peaceful protesters to the hospital. To date, 19 people have been indicted for the brutal beatings, including 15 members of President Erdogan’s security detail.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Democrat Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairperson Ed Royce (R-Calif.) were among the first to raise objections to the sale. Notably, Chairman Ed Royce (R-Calif.) formally communicated to Secretary of State Tillerson his strong opposition to the deal, calling the conduct of the Turkish guards “unprofessional and brutal.” Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) and Dave Trott (R-Mich.) spearheaded a Congressional letter, cosigned by over 35 House colleagues, including Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman and Ranking Member Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), opposing the sale.

Read more:https://armenianweekly.com/2017/09/19/white-house-officially-withdraws-proposed-arms-sale-to-turkish-president-erdogans-security-detail/

Edited by onjig
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...