[FREEBEACON] A group of 40 representatives wrote a letter to the Justice Department and State Department on Thursday urging them to immediately expel any Turkish personnel involved in a violent attack on protesters in Washington, D.C., earlier this month."This may be how they deal with dissenters in
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
, but here in America that's against the law," Rep. Randy Hultgren (R., Ill.) said in a statement about the letter. "Our country is founded on the rights of free speech and freedom of peaceful assembly. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's security team's brazen, physical assault on American citizens and legal residents peacefully protesting his policies is outrageous and follows a disturbing pattern. Foreign leaders, diplomats, and staff are invited guests of our nation, and they should act as such. All of those involved--at all levels--must be held accountable."
The attack on protesters came on May 16 during Turkish president Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First
... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him...
's visit to the United States. A few minutes after Erdogan arrived at the Turkish ambassador's residence in Washington, D.C., a number of his bodyguards and supporters rushed a group of protesters and began beating them. D.C. Police eventually separated the attackers from the protesters but not before a number received injuries requiring hospitalization.
Erdogan's government responded to the incident by blaming the protesters for instigating the attack despite video evidence that contradicts their claims. "The demonstrators began aggressively provoking Turkish-American citizens who had peacefully assembled to greet the President," the Turkish embassy said in a statement on the incident. "The Turkish-Americans responded in self-defense and one of them was maimed. The violence and injuries were the result of this unpermitted, provocative demonstration."
The Turkish government, which recently cracked down on free press in Turkey, has yet to respond to questions from the Washington Free Beacon.
The investigation into the attack is still ongoing and currently includes resources from the State Department, Secret Service, and D.C. Police. "The investigation remains active and is being conducted jointly by the Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service, U.S. Secret Service, and MPD," D.C. Police spokesperson Rachel Reid told the Free Beacon. "All three law enforcement agencies are actively sharing information and will remain in contact as the investigation proceeds."