A #SundayMorning thread deep dive with Kaz Weida
This #SundayMorning we’re taking a closer look at Giuliani’s ties to Turkey and asking a troubling question. Flynn appears to have also been working on behalf of Turkey in the early days of the administration. Are the two cases related? How deep does the rot go?
The two cases are closely related in that they both involve Flynn and Giuliani lobbying for the extradition of a Muslim cleric named Fethullah Gulen. Gulen has been a critic of Erdogan, and Erdogan believes Gulen was behind the 2016 plot to oust him.
Flynn was arranging a potential quid pro quo with Turkey that could have paid 15 million in exchange for the extradition of Gulen & release of Turkish-Iranian gold trader, Reza Zarrab being detained by the US for violating Iran sanctions.
It looks like Giuliani’s goals were similar. The Washington Post first reported that Giuliani appeared to have talked about Gulen so much that officials instructed him to refrain from speaking about Turkish policy issues.
Rudy also appears to have had his paws all over the case of Reza Zarrab and was trying to negotiate a potential prisoner exchange with Turkey. It’s exactly the same footprint as Flynn.
While Giuliani maintains he does not work on behalf of foreign governments, it’s clear something sketchy is going on with him and his buddy Lev Parnas, a Ukranian-American businessman.
It’s no coincidence that both Giuliani and Flynn face accusations about quid pro quo on behalf of foreign governments. Our withdrawal from Syria & soldiers in Saudi Arabia confirms that American foreign policy is now for sale to the highest bidder.
Did all this Turkish quid pro quo influence Trump’s decision to abruptly pull troops from Syria? It certainly can’t have harmed Erdogan’s chances. And the fact that Trump is willing to sell out our allies for any price confirms what we already know.
Trump has one goal. Profiting off the presidency. And the grift trickles down to each and every member of his administration. Corruption on this scale is what we usually see in totalitarian regimes or dictatorships. Welcome to America.
