The White House refused to criticize the president of Turkey Monday for rounding up thousands of alleged political opponents after a failed coup.
“Obviously, they’re reacting to a rather extraordinary situation,” said White House press secretary Josh Earnest. “The democratically elected Turkish government has a responsibility to exercise restraint, and certainly to be supportive of due process and the freedoms that are outlined in the Turkish Constitution.”
Asked if the administration was concerned about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan jailing more than 6,000 military personnel, judges and political figures since Saturday, Mr. Earnest replied, “I’m not prepared to pass judgment on the actions undertaken by the Erdogan government just in the last 24 to 48 hours.”
Turkey is a NATO ally and a key partner in President Obama’s efforts to fight the Islamic State terror group in Syria and Iraq.
The White House also rejected as “factually incorrect” Mr. Erdogan’s claims that the U.S. is harboring a Muslim cleric in Pennsylvania who is a leading opponent of the Turkish government. Mr. Earnest said the U.S. hasn’t received an extradition request from Turkey for Fethullah Gulen, and would consider any such request in accordance with the terms of a treaty that has been in place for more than 30 years.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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