WASHINGTON (A.W.)— On May 18, Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) called for the removal of the Turkish Ambassador to the United States.
Sen. John McCain (Photo: Gage Skidmore)
“We should throw [Turkey’s] Ambassador the hell out of the United States of America. This isn’t Turkey or a third world country,” McCain said, speaking on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program. “This kind of thing cannot go unresponded diplomatically,” he added.
McCain stressed that these were Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s security detail and not just average people that crossed police lines and attacked the peaceful demonstrators. “Somebody told them to go out there and beat up on these peaceful demonstrators and I think it should have repercussions,” McCain explained. He also said that these individuals needed to be identified and charged since they violated American laws on U.S. soil.
McCain’s remarks come after a group of peaceful protesters were attacked by Erdogan’s security details outside the Turkish Ambassador’s residence. Two people were arrested in the attack that left nine people injured.
A day earlier, Sen. McCain had also condemned Turkish authorities in a tweet, which read: “This is the United States of America. We do not do this here. There is no excuse for this kind of thuggish behavior.”
Sen. McCain condemned Turkish authorities in a tweet, which read: ‘This is the United States of America. We do not do this here. There is no excuse for this kind of thuggish behavior.’ (Photo: Twitter)