Turkish Ties Run Deep for Hastert, DeLay and Blunt

A report by Public Citizen, released last month with little public fanfare, contains information that sheds even further light on the deep ties between House GOP leadership and shadowy Turkish interests.

In fact, Speaker Hastert, Majority Leader Tom DeLay, and Majority Whip Roy Blunt, have all rushed to the aid of the interests mentioned in the Vanity Fair article that raised questions regarding the relationship between Hastert and the American Turkish Council (ATC).

The questions surrounding Hastert and the ATC largely revolve around a resolution from 2000 relating to the Armenian genocide.  

At the last minute, Hastert, who had previously promised to bring the resolution to a vote, reversed himself and killed the resolution.

The Vanity Fair article reports that the government is in possession of wiretaps on which representatives of the ATC suggest that they funnelled money into Hastert's campaign coffers in return for treatment favorable to their view on the genocide resolution.

The Public Citizen report reveals that the genocide resolution resurfaced in 2003-2004, along with a related proposal to ban the use of U.S. aid money to lobby against recognition of the Armenian genocide (H. Amdt. 709 to H.R. 4818), and that this time, the entire House GOP leadership got into the action.

According to the report, Bob Livingston, who left the House just before becoming Speaker, lobbies on behalf of Turkish interests, and has been paid approximately $9 million for doing so.

On July 14, 2004, just before a vote on H. Amdt. 709 to H.R. 4818, in order to generate powerful opposition, Livingston made the following contacts via fax, phone and email with GOP House Leadership:

Speaker Dennis Hastert (via fax)

Brett Shogen, senior advisor and director of national security policy for DeLay. (via email)

Brian Diffell, policy advisor to House Majority Whip Roy Blunt. (via fax)

Scott Palmer, chief of staff, Office of Speaker Dennis Hastert. (via telephone)

On July 15, 2004, Speaker Dennis Hastert, Majority Leader Tom DeLay, and Majority Whip Roy Blunt issued the following joint statement:

“We are strongly opposed to the Schiff Amendment to the Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, and we will insist that conferees drop that provision in conference. We have contacted the Bush Administration, and they have indicated their strong opposition to the amendment. We have also conveyed our opposition to Chairman Kolbe and he has assured us that he will insist on it being dropped in the conference committee.”

“Turkey has been a reliable ally of the United States for decades, and the deep foundation upon which our mutual economic and security relationship rests should not be disrupted by this amendment.”

Here's an excerpt from the Public Citizen report that sheds light on the context in which the GOP leadership made their statement:

...Republicans and many others were angry over Turkey’s refusal to allow U.S. troops to
stage and operate from their country during the invasion of Iraq. The Turkish parliament,
dominated by the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP), refused the U.S. permission to open a northern front to Iraq through southeast Turkey.

Apparently the leadership shared none of the anger felt by other members of their caucus. 

In addition to the revelations in the Public Citizen report, and the Vanity Fair story, on Friday, the Campaign for a Cleaner Congress revealed that the ATC has sent several staffers employed by House GOP leadership on "fact finding" junkets to Turkey.

Clearly, the ties between Turkish interests and House GOP leadership needs further investigation.