Well well well, it’s just like we predicted. Turkey’s evil dictator Erdogan is now calling for a direct exchange of the jailed pastor Andrew Brunson for the extradition of Fethullah Gulen:
TURKISH MINUTE – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has called on the US to extradite Fethullah Gülen in return for releasing American pastor Andrew Brunson, who has been jailed in Turkey since Oct. 2016.
Erdoğan’s remarks came on Thursday during the Police Academy Graduation Ceremony in Ankara.
Criticizing the US for not taking any action and remaining silent despite Turkey’s demands to extradite Gülen, who is accused by Turkish government of mounting a botched coup attempt in July, 2016, Erdoğan blamed the US of trying to divide Turkey.
“Some people are trying to divide us, crush us. But they will not be able to divide this nation and country, they will not be able to demolish it. They want a priest from us, you have a priest, too. Extradite him so that we can prosecute him,” Erdoğan said.
Turkey’s president, Erdoğan has repeatedly called on the US to either extradite or detain Gülen despite not having submitted any evidence to the US that Gülen masterminded the failed coup attempt.
This is why Erdogan refused Trump’s request earlier this year to hand over Brunson. Erdogan knew then that he would eventually try and leverage Brunson for Gulen, and that’s exactly what he’s doing now.
He tried a more indirect route earlier this year, but now he’s dropped all pretense.
Of course we want Brunson back but at what cost, an innocent man’s life? Even the Obama administration wouldn’t turn over Gulen because all of the so-called coup evidence given to them by Turkish officials was poppycock.
It was so predictable back in December of last year – six months after the phony coup – that Erdogan was only arresting Brunson for the sole reason of using him to get Gulen. Now that’s exactly what he’s doing and as much as I would love to see Brunson come home, I pray that Trump doesn’t do a deal like this, despite his good relationship with Erdogan.
Look I’m no Gulen fan. In fact for many years this muslim Imam aided Erdogan’s rise to power in Turkey. But then Erdogan turned on Gulen in 2014 when he was exposed for massive corruption. Erdogan blamed Gulen and since then has been on a warpath to get any follower of Gulen out of his government.
That’s what the July 2016 coup was all about. I don’t believe for a second that Gulen had anything to do it. Erdogan was the one who orchestrated the coup so that he could do exactly what he did in the subsequent months: purge anyone that wasn’t in full allegiance to him out of government, especially the gulenists.
So in a nutshell I simply don’t think Trump should take this deal from Erdogan, which would basically mean sentencing Gulen to death. It could end up bringing harm to Brunson, which I abhor. But unfortunately we can’t control what evil men like Erdogan do.