Corrupt Politicians and Tools of the Gulen Movement
Disclaimer: if some videos are disabled this is the work of the Gulen censorship which has filed fake copyright infringement complaints to UTUBE.
Friday, December 29, 2017
Thursday, December 21, 2017
Sunday, December 10, 2017
Unmasking Gulen: Join Sibel Edmonds & Newsbud in Austin on Tuesday, Dece...
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| http://www.boilingfrogspost.com/wp-content/uploads/Flyer_Print_HANDOUT.pdf |
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Thursday, November 30, 2017
Washington Diplomacy Group fdba Washington Strategy ---Name change same Gulen garbage
http://washingtondiplomacygroup.com/
With the legal issues concerning the old name Washington Strategy, it makes sense that the Gulenists would do the switcheroo to try and avoid legal hassles with Joel Rubin
Friday, November 24, 2017
Joe Borelli councilman of Staten Island, NY paid for by Gulen Turkish Cultural Center of New York
Joe Borelli visits Turkey in 2015 with other NY politicians, the trip was paid for by Gulen NGO Turkish New York Cultural Center. He made a special trip to a Turkish prison housing Gulen criminals to plead on their behalf.
Joe Borelli, Staten Island - NY
Why did you take a all expenses paid trip
to Turkey by the Gulen Turkish Cultural Center of NY
Then REFUSE to meet with other Turkish - Americans
Joe Borelli forget he was elected by the people Staten Island, NY to represent them, instead only represents his financial handlers of the Gulen Movement
CITY HALL -- Two South Shore officials traveled to Turkey earlier this month to learn about human and civil rights abuses there.
Assemblyman Joseph Borelli and Minority Leader Vincent Ignizio, both Republicans, were in Paris, France, and Istanbul from April 11 to 14. They tried to visit detainees in a high-security prison in Istanbul while on the trip, financed by the Turkish Cultural Center of New York.
But Borelli and Ignizio were denied access to the prisoners, including two journalists.
"We were trying to be part of the public outcry against the detainment of journalists," Borelli said. "Hell, you can put a journalist in jail but it can't be for the crime of reporting the news."
Joined by Long Island Assemblyman Joseph Saladino, the Staten Island politicians went to Silivri Prison to visit the journalists and Ertan Ercikti, the former Istanbul Public Order Bureau Chief who oversaw the murder investigation of Silver Lake mother Sarai Sierra.
The Turkish Ministry of Justice denied the Staten Island officials' request to meet with Ercikti, as well as requests to visit journalists Hidayet Karaca and Mehmet Baransu.
According to Turkish media, Ercikti is accused of wrongfully investigating a jihadist group. Borelli and Ignizio wanted to thank him for his part in solving Ms. Sierra's murder.Karaca and Baransu were arrested in what human rights advocates believe is a crackdown of media critical of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Borelli and Ignizio said the experience made them both wary of U.S. relations with Turkey and appreciative of rights back home.
"The cornerstone of United States democracy is freedom of speech and freedom of the press," Ignizio said. "For that to be infringed upon in a NATO ally was disturbing to me."
The Turkish Cultural Center of New York said the pair were invited on the trip, along with "many other politicians" who were unable to go, so that they could explore human rights violations and the suppression and imprisonment of journalists first-hand.
"Turkish Americans in New York have voiced their concerns regarding these events in Turkey," a statement from the center read.
The Turkish Cultural Center covered all traveling expenses, costing roughly $1,500 to $2,000 for each of the officials, according to an invitation dated April 6.
The Conflicts of Interest Board and the state ethics commission approved Ignizio and Borelli's participation, respectively.
Ignizio and Borelli spent just over a day in Paris during the first leg of the trip. They met with Muslim community leaders and attended the International Festival of Language and Culture, where a group of students performed.
"They were interested -- almost excited -- about meeting Americans and, in essence, advancing peace amongst all our countries," Ignizio said of those he met while away.
The pair arrived in Istanbul on April 12 and spent the next day visiting the Topkapi Palace, the Hagia Sophia and meeting with Turkish groups, including journalists.
After going to the prison on April 14, the politicians planned to attend an opening reception for the New Human Rights Organization that night. The event was abruptly cancelled when someone from the Turkish government called the hotel where it was to be held.
"It really sent a shiver down my spine," Ignizio said.
The Turkish Cultural Center sponsors a variety of trips for New Yorkers, including politicians.
This was Ignizio's first time in Turkey. Borelli went on another trip there last year sponsored by the same center.
http://www.silive.com/news/2015/04/south_shore_officials_visit_tu.html
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| Joe Borelli's facebook page slamming and vilifying anything Turkish or having to do with Erdogan. (Turkish Government) |
Gulenists Arresting journalists in Turkey
Gulen Movement arrests journalists and suppresses freedom of speech from Gulen Fraud on Vimeo.
When the Gulenists controlled Police, Media, Judiciary System, Education and politics in turkey they arrested MANY journalists and killed many of them: Orhan Pamuk, Hrant Dink, Nadem Sener, Ahmed Sik just to name a fewThursday, November 23, 2017
Monday, November 13, 2017
Dedicated to Gulen "Golden Boy" Bilal Eksil, Washington Strategy
https://www.newsbud.com/2017/11/09/pocketed-u-s-politicians-exposed-the-most-powerful-criminal-organization-in-the-world/
In this exclusive video Newsbud documents and exposes the most powerful criminal organization in the world that is hiding in plain sight, headquartered in the United States. Very few people are even aware of its existence, despite the fact this organization has managed to pocket thousands of U.S. politicians.
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Mueller persecutes General Flynn for knowing too much about Gulen Crime Operation
From NEWSBUD entire article here https://www.newsbud.com/2017/10/24/breaking-fbi-whistleblower-exposes-special-council-muellers-conflict-of-interest/
Mueller's ties to the Gulen Movement go back many years, here he is
giving top Gulen Movement operative Bilali Eksili an FBI award.
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| Muller giving top Gulen movement leader Bilali Eksili (circa 2008) an FBI Award https://www.bilalieksili.com
This blog and many others have discussed Bilali Eksili many times, he was in Indiana where he opened many new "Gulen Inspired" charter schools that were subject of a 2014 FBI raid. Bilali headed up the Dove Institute, which later changed its name to Niagara Foundation, to reflect their midwest NGO out of Chicago.
Bilali then moved to Texas to head up the Turquoise Council after Kemal Oksuz left the USA mysteriously after the US House Ethics Committee investigation. Bilali was sent to Washington DC January 2017 to rebrand the Gulen political lobbying to a "human rights slant" called Washington Strategy LLC
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Flynn the man who knew too much about Gulen Gladio Operations worldwide.
Flynn the man who refused to use boots on the ground in Syria
Stay tuned as these connections of Mueller, and other US State Department relations to
CIA Operation Gladio GULEN MOVEMENT Terrorist networks and worldwide schools which
train militants that were used in the Balkans and later in Syria
http://www.GulenSchoolsworldwide.blogspot.com
FBI website here https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/about-us/partnerships_and_outreach/community_outreach/dcla/2008/indianapolis08
Mueller has sat on the FBI case against the US Gulen Charter schools, 19 of them were raided by the FBI in June 2014
https://guleninvestigation.com/250-2/
https://www.ohio.com/akron/news/cleveland-fbi-leads-investigation-of-charter-school-chain
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/education/2014/07/30/fbi-raid-horizon-charter-school-cincinnati/13364593/
http://www.vdare.com/posts/fbi-raids-19-charter-schools-why-hint-theyre-run-by-a-turkish-cult
http://www.killinged.com
A documentary that Mike Flynn watched
MORE PHOTOS of Biliali Eskili with Indiana FBI Director
USA Today Article on Bilali Eksili bribing politicians
"Also donating to Cuellar that day was Bilal Eksili, vice president of the Turkish American Federation of Midwest in Mount Prospect, Ill. Eksili donated a total of $5,000 to federal campaigns that year, but the foundation reported to the IRS that his full-time salary was $31,592. Overall, FEC records show Eksili has donated $38,000 to political campaigns since 2010, though public records indicate he did not own a home. Eksili did not respond to attempts to reach him. Eksili is now president of the Turquoise Council of Americans and Eurasians in Houston. The Turquoise Council was a primary sponsor of a congressional trip to Azerbaijan in 2013 that House ethics investigators concluded was secretly and improperly financed by an Azeri oil company."
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/11/20/lawmakers-got-suspect-turkish-campaign-cash/75982732/
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
POLITICO News announces Gulen NGOs using Bilal Eksili Washington Strategy LLC as lobbying arm
Essentially they are hiring themselves to lobby for their NGOs, This blog has reviewed info on Washington Strategy LLC and it's leader Bilali Eksili (die hard member of Hizmet)
Here is more on Gulenist Bilal Eksili
From today's (10/23) POLITICO Influence.
NEW LOBBYING REGISTRATIONS:
Washington Strategy Group LLC: Alliance for Shared Values [http://afsv.org – Definitely a Turkish/Gulenist entity based in NYC -- http://afsv.org/contact-us/#.We5QvltSxhE]
Washington Strategy Group LLC: Bay Area Cultural Connections [NOTE: BAYCC is definitely a Turkish American entity based in the SF Bay Area – See: http://www.baycc.org/weekend-school]
Washington Strategy Group LLC: Huddled Masses [NOTE: Not Turkish, according to my research]
Washington Strategy Group LLC: Raindrop Turkish House [Definitely Turkish / Gulenist, based in Houston, TX -- http://www.raindropturkishhouse.org/about-raindrop]
Washington Strategy Group LLC: Scioto Educational Foundation [Definitely Turkish / Gulenist, based in Columbus, Ohio -- https://www.guidestar.org/profile/93-1335805]
Washington Strategy Group LLC: Turkish American Society of Missouri [Also Turkish/Gulenist, based in St. Louis, Missouri -- http://tasom.org/?page_id=14]
Washington Strategy, LLC has an ongoing issue with Joel Rubin's group which is the same name (Washington Strategy)
Gulenist group signs clients, still in conflict with Joel Rubin's firm
With David Beavers and Aubree Eliza Weaver
WASHINGTON STRATEGY GROUP VS. WASHINGTON STRATEGY GROUP: The Washington Strategy Group, a lobbying firm started by supporters of Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish cleric living in Pennsylvania blamed by the Turkish government for instigating a failed coup last year, has started signing clients. The group registered to lobby on its own behalf last year on “Human rights violations and the protection of free expression in Turkey,” but until last week hadn’t signed any clients. The six clients all appear to be local Gulenist and Turkish-American organizations based in Columbus, Ohio; Des Plaines, Ill.; Houston; New York; St. Louis; and Sunnyvale, Calif. Washington Strategy Group also registered to lobby for each of them on “Global human rights violations, freedom of expressions, rule of law, recent refugee and immigration problems,” according to disclosure filings.
— Suleyman Turhanogullari, a partner at the firm, wrote in an email that “Washington Strategy Group LLC is a for-profit company serving clients for PR, business consulting and advocacy purposes.” “Our clients have Turkish American members who are suffering because of the deteriorating democracy in their home country,” he added. “We are working hard to increase awareness in the Senate and House for all this human tragedy that they are going through.”
— One of the firm’s clients, though, seemed unfamiliar with the Washington Strategy Group’s work. “I don’t think we hired anyone to do any lobbying,” said Turan, who declined to provide his last name, when I called the number listed for Bay Area Cultural Connections, the Sunnyvale, Calif., group that Washington Strategy Group listed as a client. He said he would find out more and call back but never did. The firm’s other clients didn’t respond to request for comment.
— Washington Strategy Group also remains locked in conflict with a consulting firm run by Joel Rubin that shares the same name. Karen Post, a lawyer for Rubin, sent a letter to the newer Washington Strategy Group in May demanding they stop using the name. But the newer Washington Strategy Group FedExed the letter back to Post’s offices unopened, Rubin said. He also supplied a photo of the FedEx envelope, which listed the newer Washington Strategy Group’s address as the sender. “This highlights the attitude they have about using somebody else’s company’s name and thinking nothing of it,” Rubin said in an interview. “And that’s problematic.”
— Turhanogullari says the Washington Strategy Group never got the letter in question. “We did not receive any letter or return anything to Mr. Rubin,” Turhanogullari wrote in an email. “I don't know how that happened. We haven't had any issues with our mails so far.
Lobbying war rages on over name "Washington Strategy" Joel Rubin vs. Gulen
Washington Strategy Group, a lobbying firm founded by the leader of a regional arm of the Turkic American Alliance, a Gulen-connected group, is among those hiring up. In the last few months, it has contracted with the Estopinan Group — launched by Art Estopinan, the former chief of staff to Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) — and Gotham Government Relations.
This Washington Strategy Group is not affiliated with a firm founded by Joel Rubin, which has the same name.
Some of the groups supportive of Gulen are believed to have helped arrange trips to Turkey and nearby countries for lawmakers, including one visit to Azerbaijan in 2013 that became the subject of a congressional ethics probe. Gulenists — a term for those who subscribe to the Hizmet movement — are said to be prolific political donors.
Gulen, a former Erdogan ally, has been blamed for orchestrating a failed military coup last summer with the goal of undermining Erdogan, which forced the crackdown that ensued. Gulen condemned the coup attempt and denied involvement. Turkey wants the U.S. to hand Gulen over and has been sending alleged evidence of wrongdoing to the Justice Department.
Complete article here Washington Strategy battle CLICK HERE
Monday, October 16, 2017
Saturday, October 7, 2017
Remzi Kulen Gulen Movement immigration attorney and Arrest of US Consulate clerk in Irbil
Attorney, Remzi Kulen has processed over 1,000 H1-B visas for the Gulen Movement
Making over $3 million in fees that in some cases were paid for by American Tax payers via School Districts.
Look at the list here
http://www.jobsintech.io/lawyers/kulen-remzi-new-york-ny
Arrest in Turkey of US Consulate Visa processor
US Consulate employee arrested as part of Gulen Movement crackdown
he United States says it is "deeply concerned" about authorities in Turkey arresting a local employee of the US consulate in Istanbul.
ISTANBUL-A local employee of the USA consulate in Istanbul has been arrested over alleged links to a US -based Turkish cleric the government accuses of masterminding last year's failed coup.
Another divisive issue is the U.S. support for the Kurdish YPG fighters, whom Washington views as a major ally in fighting Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in Syria.
Following the failed coup attempt a year ago, Erdogan blamed the exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen for causing dissent and has orchestrated a nationwide purge of all institutions, industries and the armed forces of those Gulenist followers who he claims have infiltrated Turkish society. Gulen denies any involvement.
The employee with Turkish nationality was charged with "political and military espionage" and "attempting to remove the constitutional order", according to Anadolu Agency.
The government says only such a purge could neutralize the threat represented by Gulen's network, which it says deeply infiltrated institutions such as the army, schools and courts.
Tensions with the United States have been further fuelled by the indictment last month by a USA court of Turkey's former economy minister Zafer Caglayan.
Turkey says its former economy minister acted within global law and that charges against him amounted to a coup attempt through American courts.
The American side believes Caglayan illegally moved hundreds of millions of dollars through the USA financial system on behalf of Tehran, while Turkey maintains that he acted in accordance with worldwide law.
http://expressnewsline.com/2017/10/05/united-states-consulate-employee-arrested-as-part-of-gulen.html
http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/turkey/071020171UPDATE 10/17/2017 WIKILEAKS CORRESPONDENCE FROM REMZI KULEN'S LAW OFFICES REGARDING BUSINESS IN Azerbaijan
Bribing politicians, trips, money and awards from Killing Ed
Just one example of Gulen members bribing politicians with Campaign Contributions
This is Head Gulen Criminal Bilali Eksili, note how the slant is trying to win over Republicans?
Also this doesn't account for Cash and other "gifts" The gulen organization is known for.
Got to LOVE publicly funded charter schools
Check link here for Reported Campaign Contributions Click for Campaign Contributions
Why was Gulenist Emre Celik of Rumi Forum invited to the Middle East Forum to speak about Turkey? Gulenists don't represent Turkey or the USA.
PHILADELPHIA — Turkish representatives to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)’s Parliamentary Assembly walked out of a Middle East Forum (MEF) event Tuesday when it became clear a dissident would speak there.
According to Daniel Pipes, MEF president, speakers invited to the event held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, included both Cem Utkan of the Turkish Embassy and Emre Çelik, president of the Rumi Forum.
Çelik is a supporter of Turkish Sunni cleric Fethullah Gülen, whom Turkey publicly blames for the failed coup d’etat against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that occurred in July 2016.
“When we invited Çelik, Turkey decided no, he’s not welcome,” said Pipes at the conclusion of his remarks in the plenary session of the event. The Turks made clear through its NATO intermediaries that unless Çelik were removed from the program, the event would be cancelled.
“We felt we had no choice but to accede and remove his name from the program. As Americans, that troubled our conscience,” he added.
The Gulen Terrorist Emre Celik 2 weeks after bloody coup August 2016 prancing through the White House.
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| Enre Celik & Faruk Taban Gulenists Photo L, and Emre Celik (R) |
Accordingly, Pipes said, “Mr. Çelik has agreed to speak and he will address us here…In the spirit of freedom of speech, I’m bringing him in to speak anyway.”
Two members of the Turkish delegation stood up and began to argue vociferously with event organizers and the head of the NATO delegation, Thomas Michael Jopling, a Conservative Member of the U.K. House of Lords. At the same time, two staff members from the Turkish Parliament stood and joined the other Turks, preparing to leave.
Jopling prevailed upon Pipes to allow him to speak before Çelik, as well as upon the Turks to remain for his remarks. “I don’t mind at all,” a Turkish representative is heard to say in a video taken of the event.
At the outset of Jopling’s remarks, he excoriated MEF for the change in plans. “All I will say on the bombshell that you have tipped into our proceedings,” he began, was that “a verbal agreement was made that the gentlemen here would not speak,” referring to Çelik. “That is unacceptable.”
As Jopling’s remarks drew to an end, Pipes joined him at the podium, contending that the agreement was made under duress.
Jopling then departed along with the Turkish delegation.
During Çelik’s remarks, which followed the walkout, he contended, “The autocratic tendencies of President Erdoğan [do] not encourage democracy in a fragile region. Example: President Erdoğan’s overreaching the rule of law.”
Çelik argued that Erdoğan’s overreaches “include the purge of some 120,000 employees that has left key vacancies in police, intelligence, and military” in the wake of the 2016 coup attempt.
After the event, MEF tweeted, “Ultimately, @NATO must decide if it will live up to its mission or if it will let one member state dictate its discussions worldwide.”
The event also featured conversations on regional realities in the Middle East, dealing with Syria, and both violent and non-violent jihadi activity in the West.
http://amp.dailycaller.com/2017/09/19/turkish-nato-delegation-walks-out-of-event-over-dissident-speech/
Thursday, August 17, 2017
Bilal Eksili trying to take off where Kemal Oksuz left off? Washington Strategy LLC
It seems after Bilali's short stint as the replacement for Kemal Oksus as head of Turoquise Council based in Texas was short lived, less than 18 months. As Kemal Oksuz vanished from the USA The political landscape in Washington DC changed for the Gulenists. No longer are they invited into the white house or sponsor the Ramadan dinner. Most politicians stay clear of the Gulen Movement lobbying after the US House Ethics Committee multiple investigations.
Today Bilal Eksili heads up a new Gulen think-tank lobbying group called Washington Strategy. Instead of a loud Turkish flair its more about trying to gain access into the Republican inner circles. But instead Bilali has to dish out huge money to attend functions. His Gulen "Think Tank" combines other non Turkish people and is about studying human rights abuses. Of course, Erdogan is high on his list as being the person who dismantled the Gulen Movement of power, stripped Gulenists of key positions in: education, judicary system, media, police, banking, TUSKON business and finally incing into high ranks of the Turkish Military.
So naturally the Gulenists hate Erdogan and are trying very hard to demonize Erdogan, yet never mentioning the amount of arrests the Gulen Movement made when they controlled the police or how many people they killed. Here is a walk through Bilial's short lived Gulen Lobbying career: Maybe its a better spin since Bilal is from Dagestan, and speaks Russian as well as Turkish and poor English.
Bilal Eksili, a Good Will Ambassador https://www.bilaleksili.com/
Bilal loves to boast on his Linked in account
as all Gulenists do how important they are or convincing
others of their importance
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| Bilal like all Gulenists love to take photos and especially photo bomb themselves at important events and with politicians. Its unclear if the other Gulen lobbying is going to close or keep a low profile. Turkic American Alliance, Rumi Forum, (in Washington) Prior to his current stint in Washington DC, Bilal took over the head of Turoquoise Council in Texas from Kemal Oksuz, who skipped out of the USA on the heels of a US House Ethics Committee investigation of political junket to Azerbaijan. See Kemal Oksuz article below. |
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| Bilal made it to the ex mayor of Houston's home, as President of Turquoise Council Rumor has it that their building and compound for Turquoise Council has sold their property and building |
Bilal BW (Before Washington) consisted of many key positions in the Midwest for the Gulen Movement. Starting off from Dove Institute in Indiana (VP Pence's State) which he later changed the name to match it's sister lobbying firm based out of Chicago Niagara Foundation. Here are glimpses of Bilal's career.
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| Bilal Eksili receiving a FBI award from Robert Mueller in 2008, Indianapolis where he was instrumental in opening Indiana Charter Schools & leading Holy Dove Institute |
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| While in Indiana, Bilal Eksili became chummy with the future Vice President Pence |
Bio on Washington Strategy http://www.washingtonstrategygroup.org/bilal-eksili/
FOOT NOTE
This blog had a few people contacting us regarding Bilal Eksili's resemblance to
Lon Chaney in PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
What do you think?
UPDATE**** 10/25/2017 SEE NEW BLOG ENTRY ON PROSECUTOR MUELLER
AND HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH GULEN MOVEMENT
https://gulenpoliticians.blogspot.com/2017/10/mueller-persecutes-general-flynn-for.html
UPDATE **** Cemil Teber member of Washington Strategy and Gulen loyalist
AND HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH GULEN MOVEMENT
https://gulenpoliticians.blogspot.com/2017/10/mueller-persecutes-general-flynn-for.html
UPDATE **** Cemil Teber member of Washington Strategy and Gulen loyalist
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| Cemil Teber house in Houston, TX when he headed up Raindrop Turkish House |
Bio: http://www.washingtonstrategygroup.org/cemil-teber/
Sunday, July 30, 2017
5 facts showing Gulen's involvement in Turkey's failed coup involves the brother of Gulen US political criminal
Adil Oksuz in this video
The ring leader of Turkey's coup was Adil Oksuz
Kemal Oksuz arranged the trip to Azerbaijan in 2013 that we discussed on this blog here http://gulenpoliticians.blogspot.com/2015/11/head-of-us-house-ethics-committee.html
The money paying for these members of congress came from SOCAR but it was filtered into countless Gulen American NGOs (Pacifica Institute, Turquoise Council, et al) Kemal was due to speak to the US House Ethics Committee but instead hired an attorney and plead 5th, Kemal and Adil Oksuz are both missing.
Here is some other references to Kemal Oksuz crimes in the USA https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/10-members-of-congress-took-trip-secretly-funded-by-foreign-government/2015/05/13/76b55332-f720-11e4-9030-b4732caefe81_story.html
utm_term=.f205ee9de810 http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/business-a-lobbying/283682-lawmakers-turned-over-gifts-after-trip https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2015/05/lawmakers-who-traveled-to-azerbaijan-urged-action-benefiting-state-oil-company-that-funded-trip/
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Gulen influence in US Congress
http://guleninvestigation.com/gulens-influence-u-s-congress/
The vast, wide-ranging infiltration of state institutions by the Fethullah Gülen organization is widely known in Turkey, where events such as the Ergenekon and Sledgehammer trials, as well as the July 15 attempted coup, have shown just how powerful and how deep its influence runs.
However there is much less awareness regarding the scale and scope of Gülen’s influence in Washington DC, where for years his organization has been using highly coordinated political donations, top-shelf lobbyists and PR firms, while funding scores of lavish all-expenses-paid trips to Turkey for U.S. lawmakers (this of course later became a scandal before the House Ethics Committee). Now that Turkey is seeking Gülen’s extradition to stand trial for the attempted coup, this secretive organization has begun calling in its favors to all these lawmakers with whom they hold influence.
This campaign on behalf of the Gülenists culminated on September 14 in a hearing put together by the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee, an event which predictably devolved into a one-sided, absurd farce. This hearing, which appeared to many observers to have been put together with the clear goal of attacking the Turkish government and defending Mr. Gülen, has been the source of significant insult and anger to people in Turkey.
During the proceedings Committee Chairman Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) made a number of highly opinionated and unsubstantiated claims regarding Gülen’s role in the coup. At one point, the Congressman said he didn’t think the Republic of Turkey’s case against Gülen was “credible,” and said that Turkey had “erred” by arresting members of the Gülen organization. The California lawmaker went on to denounce the security measures taking place in the aftermath of the coup, scolding the Turkish authorities over arrests without any mention of the scale of threat facing the country’s national security.
Rep. Randy Weber, a Republican Congressman from Texas (the location of Gülen’s largest charter school operation), led the questioning of witnesses, at one point even said of the accused coup leader, “he’s doin’ some good work,” and then later asked a number of leading questions, such as “Do you agree… that, generally speaking, Gulen is viewed as doing some pretty good things… here and in Turkey?”
The insult here is obvious and profound. It would be similar to holding a hearing to discuss Hezbollah’s charitable activities in Lebanon immediately following a deadly bombing in Tel Aviv, but of course, special rules seem to apply when it comes to Turkey.
One thing that Rohrabacher, Weber, and others did not mention was their long history of contacts – both personal and financial – between Gülen-linked entities and those leading these hearings. There is simply no reasonable basis that these men can consider themselves impartial to the Gülen movement after such a long history of close engagement.
There is no shortage of examples. In 2011, Rohrabacher was wined and dined at Gülen’s Anatolian Cultures and Food Festival, where he happily endorsed his hosts: “Merhaba, [“Hello”] Today I want to thank the Pacifica Institute and those who helped put this program together to create better relations between the two nations. Thank you for doing your part. Let’s reach out and be friends. God bless you.”
Later that year, the Gülenists hand-picked Rohrabacher to speak at their 2nd annual Turkic American Alliance Gala. Rohrabacher was again the celebrity featured guest at the 3rd Turkic American Convention. In 2013, he again attended another Gülen-led food festival, this time accompanied by Ed Royce, Loretta Sanchez, Michael Honda, and Allen Lowenthal, which at the time was boastful of the “strong proof of the lobbying potential of the festival.” There are at least three more public events held by the Gulenists that Rohrabacher is known to have attended, in addition to taking a paid trip to Istanbul on behalf of Tukson in 2011.
But he’s far from the only one on the committee that has been owned and operated by Gülen. There’s Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) who accepted the Rumi Forum’s Congressional Dialogue Service Award in 2008, sent a staffer on a paid trip to Turkey, went on his own $7,000 trip to Baku paid for by the Gülenists, and has given speeches at a number of key Gülen events, such as the 2011 Turkic American Alliance Gala. Rep Meeks was even so grateful to Gülen that he made one of his disciples a congressional staffer for a few months.
Then there’s Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL), who was present at the hearing to lob insults at Turkey and shield Gülen from criticism. Rep. Brooks of course was one of those many lawmakers who accepted not one, but two fully paid trips to Turkey by Gülen’s Istanbul Center, and has been a featured guest at least four key events, including several Turkic American Convention events in 2013.
The list goes on and on. Rep. Gerry Connolly has received gratuitous honors from Rumi Forum, American Turkish Friendship Association, and has sent a staffer on a Gulen-paid trip, while Rep. Paul Cook has his photo up on the Turkic American Alliance website and also was a signatory on the Matt Salmon letter to John Kerry (among most of the other committee members as well). Rep. Weber has given speeches at several events organized by the Turquoise Council of Americans and Eurasians, and helped to pass a visa waiver law to benefit Gülen’s charter school operation. Amazingly, appeared on stage at the International Festival of Language and Culture in Washington DC in April 2016, where he praised Gülen and called him “our good friend.”
Is it possible that these same lawmakers who are honored and featured guests at so many Gülen events would also be the recipients of coordinated political donations by Hizmet members? Certainly some whistleblowers within the organization have spoken openly about being instructed to donate every year to specific congressional and senate campaign races.
How are U.S. citizens meant to understand the true reality of what happened in Turkey leading up the coup if these are the men who purport to hand down interpretation? At the very least, they should do the honorable gesture of declaring their bias before getting into the work of defending their client.
A hearing like this, consisting of such incredibly biased tone aimed at benefiting a single individual, does very little to educate the public on the real issues facing Turkey and the importance of the U.S.-Turkey alliance. In fact, it causes significant damage to relations between the countries. Looking at the outcome of this hearing, one can finally begin to picture the true size and scale of Gülen’s power and influence, even within the U.S. government.
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