House lawmakers urge Trump to rescind ErdoÄŸan's White House invite
ErdoÄŸan's visit comes at a particularly fraught time in U.S.-Turkey relations.
By CONNOR O’BRIEN
11/11/2019 03:08 PM EST
A bipartisan bloc of 17 House lawmakers is urging President Donald Trump to disinvite Turkish President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan from a planned White House visit on Wednesday.
In a letter led by House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), the 15 House Democrats and two Republicans said Turkey's invasion of northern Syria last month "has had disastrous consequences for U.S. national security, has led to deep divisions in the NATO alliance and caused a humanitarian crisis on the ground."
"Given this situation, we believe that now is a particularly inappropriate time for President Erdogan to visit the United States, and we urge you to rescind this invitation," the lawmakers wrote.
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Lawmakers also cited Turkey's purchase of the Russian-made S-400 missile system and other moves that have drawn the NATO ally closer to Moscow as well as ErdoÄŸan's undermining of domestic democratic institutions.
The Turkish president is slated to visit the White House and hold a joint press conference with Trump on the same day as the first public hearing of the House impeachment inquiry into the president's dealings with Ukraine.
The White House had no immediate comment on the congressional letter.
ErdoÄŸan's visit comes at a particularly fraught time in U.S.-Turkey relations.
more:
http://www.politico.com/news/2019/11/11/house-trump-erdogan-white-house-invite-069303
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