Dem lawmaker asks Trump to expel Turkish ambassador over violence

Democratic Rep. Don Beyer (Va.) recommended Friday that President Trump expel the Turkish ambassador to the United States following a violent clash between protesters and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s bodyguards. 

“President Trump should immediately expel the Turkish Ambassador to the United States,” Beyer said in a statement Friday. “President Erdogan’s attacks on human rights and democratic institutions in Turkey are disgraceful, but condoning such attacks on American soil betrays our deepest values.”

Nine people were taken to local hospitals Tuesday following violence that erupted between protesters outside the Turkish Embassy and Erdogan’s bodyguards.

{mosads}The Turkish Embassy said on Wednesday that Erdogan’s bodyguards were acting in “self-defense” during the incident and the protesters were affiliated with the Kurdish terrorist group PKK. A protest leader denied that anyone involved had any ties or sympathies to the PKK. 

Beyer, a former ambassador to Lichtenstein and Switzerland, added that the clash violated diplomatic norms.

“As someone who has represented my country abroad as an ambassador, I have a special appreciation for the vital role that envoys play and the expectations for honorable behavior that comes with this responsibility. These actions fall grievously short of that standard, and the US must take a stand.” 

Video emerged Thursday showing Erdogan watching the fracas unfold. 

Tuesday’s incident involved about two dozen demonstrators and occurred after President Trump hosted Erdogan at the White House.