The nation’s top Democrat is UNDER INVESTIGATION and more than a dozen other high-profile Americans – including former government officials – are being accused of links to a terrorist organization.
Prosecutors in Turkey say they’ve launched a probe into alleged ties between 17 Americans – including New York Sen. Charles Schumer – and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization, the group blamed for last year’s failed coup, which left hundreds dead and thousands wounded.
“The suspects have been accused of attempting to overthrow the Turkish government and the country’s constitution and being members of a terror organization,” Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency reported earlier this month.
The papers also name one-time star prosecutor Preet Bharara, who was fired by the Trump Administration last month.
Bharara didn’t seem too concerned by the allegations.
“Banned by Putin & now accused by Erdogan,” he cracked on Twitter. “Not saying pattern, but if (Philippine President Rodrigo) Duterte charges me w/drug trafficking, I’m gonna think something’s up.’’
Turkish officials are also looking into possible roles by two former Obama administration CIA officials: director John Brennan and deputy director David Cohen.
Henri Barkey, director of the Middle East Program at the Wilson Center, is also named in the probe.
They’re accused of being linked to Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric from Turkey who has been living in exile in Pennsylvania for decades.
Gulen, a one-time ally of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, denies any involvement in the coup.
But Turkish officials say Gulen’s followers not only launched the coup against the elected government of this NATO ally, but they continue to try to undermine that nation’s democracy.
“Turkey won’t be frightened with this kind of uprising and Turkey cannot be governed from Pennsylvania,” President Tayyip Erdogan said after forces loyal to him put the coup down. “They were being told what to do from Pennsylvania.”
Analysts say this could be Turkey’s government posturing. It could also be the country’s response to the arrest in New York of a figure from a Turkish bank.
“It’s partly: You’re arresting our people, we can do the same to you,” Barkey told The New York Times.
However, the U.S. government in general and Democrats in particular have had a long and ugly history of trying to pick winners and losers in overseas conflicts, leaving disaster behind at every turn.
Libya and Syria both come to mind.
It’s not clear if there’s anything to tie these U.S. figures to the events in Turkey. But since the questions have been raised by officials of a key foreign ally, they should at the very least be answered.
So far, Schumer – who has taken every opportunity he can to get in front of the cameras and make unproven allegations against Trump and his administration – hasn’t commented.
Maybe he should get his own house in order before his next photo op.
— The Horn editorial team