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.
Showing posts with label Alp Aslandogan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alp Aslandogan. Show all posts
Thursday, December 21, 2017
Saturday, February 25, 2017
Tennessee Legislation out Gulen Charter School Fraud
This bill didn't past, it was to stop foreigners from opening Charter Schools. Expect the Charter School laws to change severely now that Gulen Movement is out of favor and has no clout in the USA.
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
In their own words: The Gulen Terror-Cult
Gulen US Political bribes @ 30:50 excellent video by those that know him best.
Saturday, August 13, 2016
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Gulen Cult Film 'LOVE IS A VERB' Berkeley Protest/STOP Public Funding Of...
Film Sponsored by Gulen Lobbying on the West Coast Pacifica Institute
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Gulen Politicians on the run- Turkey Retains Robert Amsterdam on Expansion of Gülen Investigation
With an inquiry into defrauding state funds and abuse of visa applications, the FBI has turned up the heat on schools linked to the controversial Gülen Movement of retired Pennsylvania-based preacher Fethullah Gülen, a prime suspect in terror investigations in Turkey
Fethullah Gülen, a notable resident of Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania and a prime suspect in a number of terror investigations in Turkey, faces further troubles in his adopted country. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating a school chain linked to his shady Gülen Movement for charges of fraud. The investigation is looking into allegations that the charter school chain diverted state funds it acquired to individuals and institutions tied with the movement, which faces terror charges in a number of investigations in Turkey, where it is formally called the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization or FETÖ.
The investigation is likely to boost Turkey's cause in its fight against the organization accused of overthrowing the Turkish government. Turkey had already employed an international law firm to assist in a global investigation into the activities of the Gülen Movement, which operates a worldwide network of schools and companies.
Concept Schools probed by the FBI operate 19 charter schools in several states and the Cleveland branch of the FBI leads the investigation into alleged wrongdoings in its activities. Vicki Anderson, the bureau's Cleveland Media Coordinator, told Anadolu Agency "a white-collar crime investigation" into the school chain was underway and she would not disclose further, as the investigation was ongoing. Anderson said an indictment will be released by the attorney's office soon.
The investigation was started after a series of raids in June 2014 at schools and offices of the Concept Schools network in Illinois, Ohio and Indiana. The FBI had seized documents regarding the school chain's contracts, documents related to e-rate grants and documents related to money transfers. E-rate is a program by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that provides discounts to schools in the United States for acquiring affordable equipment for telecommunications and Internet access. E-rate has a budget of $3.9 million and the school chain is suspected of diverting grants it received to acquire services from companies and people linked to the Gülen Movement and violating competition rules.
According to its website, Concept Schools, founded in 2002, operate 17 schools in Ohio, four in Illinois, three in Missouri, three in Indiana and one school each in Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin. Overall, there are more than 140 schools in 26 states operated by groups linked to the Gülen Movement, which is active in all continents with a large network of schools.
The Chicago Sun-Times had reported that Concept Schools had diverted nearly $1 million to eight companies going into 2014.
Gülenists are also claimed to have abused a work visa system for Turkish teachers they brought to the United States. Teachers are issued an H-1B, a non-immigrant visa that allows U.S.-based employers to temporarily employ foreigners in specialty occupations. Charter schools operated by Gülenists have long been a point of contention in the U.S. A New York Times article from 2011 was one of the first in-depth articles on the issue, pointing out to dubious contracts to new companies with little experience awarded by charter schools. The article, focused on Gülen-linked schools in Texas, had questioned the spending of taxpayers' money by publicly financed schools, especially in awarding contracts to Turkish-owned businesses linked to the movement. It also revealed that visa abuse dated back to at least 2009 and a complaint by a charter school union in Chicago over Concept Schools' abuse of the visa system.
Lawyer Robert Amsterdam of Amsterdam and Partners LLP, a law firm employed by Turkey to assist in the global investigation into the Gülen Movement, said at a press conference on Monday that companies in the United States linked to the movement had actively abused the visa system and brought in more foreign workers than large companies like Google into the United States. Amsterdam had said that most of those foreigners were not capable of teaching and had a limited knowledge of English. He claimed many of them were hired by charter schools and diverted nearly half of their income to the Gülen Movement.
Several schools affiliated with the movement are already closed. A school in Pennsylvania where Fethullah Gülen lives in a large compound was shut down for not fulfilling the criteria for charter schools. Truebright Science Academy was closed due to poor academic performance. The school was already under fire for irregularities in the H1B visa applications and employing inexperienced Turkish teachers paid more than their American counterparts.
Schools tied to the Gülen Movement have faced closures elsewhere in the world. As Turkey has stepped up its fight against the movement, Azerbaijan, a close ally of Turkey, shut down schools the movement operates in the country, as did Gabon and Senegal. In January, Tajikistan announced that it will not extend the agreement it made with the Gülen Movement over permission to operate schools in the country. Kosovo, Congo, Kazakhstan, Japan and Somalia have launched processes to close the movement's schools. Activities and operations of the Gülen Movement in the U.S. and Turkey have been scrutinized by a number of American media outlets that question the movement's motives, opacity and why the U.S. government is providing refuge for Fethullah Gülen, who is currently facing numerous charges including treason and extradition. The movement, led by Fethullah Gülen, who lives in self-imposed exile in the U.S., is accused of wiretapping thousands of people including government officials and encrypted phones. It has been accused of infiltrating state institutions in Turkey and trying to overthrow the government. Government officials have continuously expressed their determination to continue to lawfully fight the Gülen Movement, whose followers are accused of infiltrating state institutions to gain control of state mechanisms and illegal wiretapping, forgery of official documents and espionage.
Turkey, which has already purged a large number of Gülenist infiltrators from law enforcement and judiciary, is seeking to curb the movement's influence abroad in legal battles.
Lawyer Robert Amsterdam said at Monday's press conference that Gülenists were trying to gain political influence around the world with its activities through hiring international journalists. He said a comprehensive investigation into its activities was needed.
Amsterdam argued that an international investigation launched against the Gülen Movement will be of benefit to everyone and it is necessary for the accountability that global norms require. The lawyer had also claimed that they received death threats from Gülenists since they announced they would work with Turkey for investigation into Gülenists' activities.
Speaking to A Haber TV yesterday, Robert Amsterdam said they were still in the early stages of an investigation and was monitoring the FBI operations against Gülenist-linked schools. Amsterdam said the investigation is focused on overall organization rather than Fethullah Gülen. He said Gülen-linked schools received approximately $150 million from state funds in the United States every year.
Amsterdam also reiterated death threats by members of the movement, which advocates a peaceful dialogue between people of different faiths. He said Gülenist media outlets also released news reports defaming him and his firm. He said the extent of threats in the form of phone calls and e-mails showed the movement was not as transparent as it claims to be. Amsterdam stressed that the movement had a significant power in politics in the United States. The lawyer said the Gülen Movement funded congressmen and senators to wield influence.
The investigation is likely to boost Turkey's cause in its fight against the organization accused of overthrowing the Turkish government. Turkey had already employed an international law firm to assist in a global investigation into the activities of the Gülen Movement, which operates a worldwide network of schools and companies.
Concept Schools probed by the FBI operate 19 charter schools in several states and the Cleveland branch of the FBI leads the investigation into alleged wrongdoings in its activities. Vicki Anderson, the bureau's Cleveland Media Coordinator, told Anadolu Agency "a white-collar crime investigation" into the school chain was underway and she would not disclose further, as the investigation was ongoing. Anderson said an indictment will be released by the attorney's office soon.
The investigation was started after a series of raids in June 2014 at schools and offices of the Concept Schools network in Illinois, Ohio and Indiana. The FBI had seized documents regarding the school chain's contracts, documents related to e-rate grants and documents related to money transfers. E-rate is a program by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that provides discounts to schools in the United States for acquiring affordable equipment for telecommunications and Internet access. E-rate has a budget of $3.9 million and the school chain is suspected of diverting grants it received to acquire services from companies and people linked to the Gülen Movement and violating competition rules.
According to its website, Concept Schools, founded in 2002, operate 17 schools in Ohio, four in Illinois, three in Missouri, three in Indiana and one school each in Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin. Overall, there are more than 140 schools in 26 states operated by groups linked to the Gülen Movement, which is active in all continents with a large network of schools.
The Chicago Sun-Times had reported that Concept Schools had diverted nearly $1 million to eight companies going into 2014.
Gülenists are also claimed to have abused a work visa system for Turkish teachers they brought to the United States. Teachers are issued an H-1B, a non-immigrant visa that allows U.S.-based employers to temporarily employ foreigners in specialty occupations. Charter schools operated by Gülenists have long been a point of contention in the U.S. A New York Times article from 2011 was one of the first in-depth articles on the issue, pointing out to dubious contracts to new companies with little experience awarded by charter schools. The article, focused on Gülen-linked schools in Texas, had questioned the spending of taxpayers' money by publicly financed schools, especially in awarding contracts to Turkish-owned businesses linked to the movement. It also revealed that visa abuse dated back to at least 2009 and a complaint by a charter school union in Chicago over Concept Schools' abuse of the visa system.
Lawyer Robert Amsterdam of Amsterdam and Partners LLP, a law firm employed by Turkey to assist in the global investigation into the Gülen Movement, said at a press conference on Monday that companies in the United States linked to the movement had actively abused the visa system and brought in more foreign workers than large companies like Google into the United States. Amsterdam had said that most of those foreigners were not capable of teaching and had a limited knowledge of English. He claimed many of them were hired by charter schools and diverted nearly half of their income to the Gülen Movement.
Several schools affiliated with the movement are already closed. A school in Pennsylvania where Fethullah Gülen lives in a large compound was shut down for not fulfilling the criteria for charter schools. Truebright Science Academy was closed due to poor academic performance. The school was already under fire for irregularities in the H1B visa applications and employing inexperienced Turkish teachers paid more than their American counterparts.
Schools tied to the Gülen Movement have faced closures elsewhere in the world. As Turkey has stepped up its fight against the movement, Azerbaijan, a close ally of Turkey, shut down schools the movement operates in the country, as did Gabon and Senegal. In January, Tajikistan announced that it will not extend the agreement it made with the Gülen Movement over permission to operate schools in the country. Kosovo, Congo, Kazakhstan, Japan and Somalia have launched processes to close the movement's schools. Activities and operations of the Gülen Movement in the U.S. and Turkey have been scrutinized by a number of American media outlets that question the movement's motives, opacity and why the U.S. government is providing refuge for Fethullah Gülen, who is currently facing numerous charges including treason and extradition. The movement, led by Fethullah Gülen, who lives in self-imposed exile in the U.S., is accused of wiretapping thousands of people including government officials and encrypted phones. It has been accused of infiltrating state institutions in Turkey and trying to overthrow the government. Government officials have continuously expressed their determination to continue to lawfully fight the Gülen Movement, whose followers are accused of infiltrating state institutions to gain control of state mechanisms and illegal wiretapping, forgery of official documents and espionage.
Turkey, which has already purged a large number of Gülenist infiltrators from law enforcement and judiciary, is seeking to curb the movement's influence abroad in legal battles.
Lawyer Robert Amsterdam said at Monday's press conference that Gülenists were trying to gain political influence around the world with its activities through hiring international journalists. He said a comprehensive investigation into its activities was needed.
Amsterdam argued that an international investigation launched against the Gülen Movement will be of benefit to everyone and it is necessary for the accountability that global norms require. The lawyer had also claimed that they received death threats from Gülenists since they announced they would work with Turkey for investigation into Gülenists' activities.
Speaking to A Haber TV yesterday, Robert Amsterdam said they were still in the early stages of an investigation and was monitoring the FBI operations against Gülenist-linked schools. Amsterdam said the investigation is focused on overall organization rather than Fethullah Gülen. He said Gülen-linked schools received approximately $150 million from state funds in the United States every year.
Amsterdam also reiterated death threats by members of the movement, which advocates a peaceful dialogue between people of different faiths. He said Gülenist media outlets also released news reports defaming him and his firm. He said the extent of threats in the form of phone calls and e-mails showed the movement was not as transparent as it claims to be. Amsterdam stressed that the movement had a significant power in politics in the United States. The lawyer said the Gülen Movement funded congressmen and senators to wield influence.
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Gulen Politicians - 88 US Congress Representatives send letter to US State Department at urging of Gulen Movement
Forward by Charter School Watchdog
http://www.charterschoolwatchdog.com/ "Tit for Tat"
On February 2, 2015, a group of 88 US Congress Representatives signed a group letter addressed to US Secretary of State John Kerry, complaining about the unfair treatment of Turkish media members by the Turkish government. The letter accused the Turkish government of attempting to “intimidate, arrest, and smother voices opposed to the government -- threatening Turkish democracy.” Likewise, the letter called for “transparency and tolerance” by government agencies with respect to free press.
I suspect that the primary authors of this letter had considerable help from some of the sameTurkish “intimidators” that they are now defending -- Gulenist lobbyists whose organization for years has notoriously contributed to human rights violations.
And now the shoe is on the other foot -- theirs.
For years and through their massive infiltration into Turkey’s government, courts, military, media, and police force, the Gulenists have manipulated pretty much any public entity possible – including the media. The Gulenists own some of the largest media companies in Turkey and as such, have been allowed to arbitrarily malign and discredit reputable citizens who oppose or question their distorted and narrow ideologies. And now they cry foul because the Turkish government has decided to take back its country – sans the Gulenists and their corruptive policies.
Okay, that’s a problem for Turkey – but the bigger problem here is that we have United States Congressional Representatives defending a group of criminals who not only have corrupted the political infrastructure in Turkey, but have likewise amassed a criminal empire here in the United States. The US Representatives are by proxy complicit in these underhanded activities when they accept Gulenist campaign contributions and free trips to Turkey.
The Turkish newspaper, The Daily Sabah, investigated the signatories of the Kerry letter, and found some interesting facts. Specifically, the paper reported 49% of the US Congressional Representatives that signed the letter had accepted Gulenist campaign contributions and free trips to Turkey.
Now that leads to the question – why?
Why for instance would the Gulenist lobby pay at least $180,000 for our US Congress Representatives to travel to Turkey? And according to The Daily Sabah, reports from the “The U.S. Federal Election Commission (FEC) in 2013 and 2014, showed that individuals affiliated with the Gülen Movement donated a total of $241,000 in 2013 and 2014 to 25 congressmen who signed the letter.”
Sure seems like a simple case of a “tit for tat,” or a “We gave you money and trips and now you sign the letter -- etc. ” strategy.
Interestingly, many of the Representative recipients of the Gulenists’ generosity are from states that host a significant number of the US publicly funded Gulenist charter schools.
For as much as the American taxpayers shell out in salaries for Congressional Representatives, I would like to believe that the people that we are paying to represent our interests (and those of our students), would actually do a little basic research on the very people that they are so eagerly and blindly accepting gratuities from -- before and not after - they stuff their fists with cash and their mouths with baklava.
Below are The Daily Sabah links and articles that provide more specific details:
http://www.dailysabah.com/politics/2015/02/09/gulen-movement-woos-us-congressmen-with-campaign-donations-and-free-trips
By RAGIP SOYLU, published on February 9, 2015 in The Daily Sabah
Gülen Movement woos US congressmen with campaign donations and free trips
“The Gülen Movement arranged all-expense-paid trips to Turkey and made campaign donations to 43 of the 88 U.S. congressmen, who in turn signed a template letter sent to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, claiming that media outlets linked to the movement were under pressure in Turkey.
The Gülen Movement, headed by Fethullah Gülen who resides in Pennsylvania in self-imposed exile, owns hundreds of schools around the world, dozens of media organs and other businesses and is accused of infiltrating key state institutions, including the police and judiciary, to wage a campaign against anyone it perceives as an opponent. Gülenist operatives in the U.S. sent several template letters to congressmen, who in turn were urged to forward them to Kerry to apply pressure on the Turkish government.
The congressional sponsors of the letter, which was forwarded on February 2, asked Kerry to take action against Turkey, claiming that Gülen-affiliated media organs were under crackdown. However, an investigation has revealed that the sponsors and almost half of the signatories had benefited from all-expense paid trips organized by several U.S.-based organizations of the movement or received campaign donations through Gülen affiliates. Arizona Republican Representative Matt Salmon, the main sponsor of the letter, was brought to Istanbul and Kayseri provinces in Turkey April 11-19 last year by the Arizona-based Foundation for Inter-Cultural Dialogue (FICD), which belongs to Gülenists. Salmon visited several businessmen and various media organs linked to the Gülen Movement during the trip, which according to congressional records cost $12,000.
The assistant of another sponsor, Missouri Democratic Representative Emanuel Cleaver, visited Istanbul March 14-22 last year, which was paid for by the Turkic-American Alliance (TAA). The TAA is known to conduct lobbying activities on behalf of the movement in Congress. Cleaver's assistant met journalists, businessmen and politicians affiliated with the movement during the trip, which cost $2,610.
Congressional records reveal that 26 congressmen or their aides benefited from the largesse of the Gülen Movement in 2013 and 2014, and all involved signed the letter sent to Kerry, which criticized both Turkey and Azerbaijan. Visits were paid for by TAA sub-branches and other U.S.-based Gülenist organizations, such as the Pacifica Institute.
The movement spent over $180,000 for such trips. The TAA, which was founded in 2010, is currently fed by various U.S. businesses linked to the movement to conduct lobbying activities. TAA Chairman Faruk Taban is known for his efforts to engage representatives and senators for support. Sources close to Congress told Daily Sabah that the movement employed the Armenian and Israel lobby in Congress to persuade the other signatories, who had not directly enjoyed free trips.
According to figures released by the U.S. Federal Election Commission (FEC) in 2013 and 2014, individuals affiliated with the Gülen Movement donated a total of $241,000 in 2013 and 2014 to 25 congressmen who signed the letter. Donations were mostly made by executives of pro-Gülenist institutions and companies and administrators of Charter Schools, which have been criticized for being privately run but publicly funded educational institutions. Gülenists donated a total of $43,500 to Henry Cuellar, a Democratic representative from Texas, in the past two years. Also in Texas, where the group has a strong presence, Democratic representatives Al Green and Sheila Jackson Lee received $46,000 and $23,000, respectively.
Members of the movement also utilize Super PACs, which are nearly impossible to monitor, to gain influence in the U.S. Congress. According to 2012 and 2013 figures, Gülen schools have around 60,000 pupils in the U.S. and receive an average of $10,608 in state funding per student. The annual sum of public funding for the 130 Gülen schools, with names such as Cosmos, Pioneer, Harmony, Magnolia and Horizon, total $636.48 million. These funds are then used by affiliated companies so that the movement profits from both schools and business activities. Gülenist contractors are used to build and equip schools and teachers who are members of the movement and brought over from Turkey with special visas. These teachers hand over most of their wages to the movement.”
Visits of congressmen or their representatives
1-Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ)
04/11/14-04/19/14 Foundation for Inter-Cultural Dialogue Istanbul, Kayseri, Turkey - Met with Turkish government officials and journalists; visited historical sites. $12,315.00
2-Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Missouri, 5th)
Privately Financed Travel Shapiro, Jennifer G.
03/14/14-03/22/14 Turkic American Alliance Ankara, Turkey - Istanbul, Turkey - Met with various journalists, politicians, businessmen and U.S. government officials to discuss the $2,617.30
3-Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Illinois, 1st)
Marshall, John P.
05/24/13-06/01/13 Turkish American Federation of Midwest Ankara, Turkey
Participated in a staff delegation to Turkey and Azerbaijan; met with government officials, business $4,397.00
Watkins, Stanley (Stan)
04/18/14-04/26/14 Pacifica Institute Ankara, TurkeyCultural Mecca - Cappadocia, Turkey - ... more
Met with Turkish government officials; toured historical sites; met with religious leaders $2,025.0
4-Rep. Danny Davis (D-Illinois, 7th)
Davis, Rep. Danny (D-IL)
05/27/13-05/30/13 Turkish American Federation of Midwest Baku, Azerbaijan
Attended meetings with politicians and government officials to discuss energy-related policies $24,084.00
Brown, Lavell P.
05/25/13-06/01/13 Turkish American Federation of Midwest Ankara, Turkey
Participated in a staff delegation to Turkey and Azerbaijan; met with government officials, business... more $3,607.00
5-Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas, 28th)
Margowsky, Miranda K.
10/17/14-10/25/14 Turkish American Federation of Midwest Istanbul, Turkey - Ankara, Turkey
Toured local universities and newspapers; visited historic sites; met with U.S. and Turkish government... $3,307.17 Travieso, Amy A.
05/24/13-05/31/13 Turquoise Council of Americans and Eurasians Ankara, Turkey - Istanbul, Turkey - ... more
Participated in U.S. congressional delegation trip to Turkey and Azerbaijan; attended briefings; met... more $5,290.00
Cuellar, Rep. Henry (D-TX)
01/06/13-01/13/13 Turquoise Council of Americans and Eurasians Istanbul, Turkey - Baku, Azerbaijan
Participated in a congressional delegation to Turkey and Azerbaijan; visited cultural and historic s... more $26,145.26
6- Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Illinois, 3rd)
Day, Jason O.
10/17/14-10/25/14 Turkish American Federation of Midwest Ankara, Turkey - Istanbul, Turkey
Toured local universities and newspapers; visited historic sites; met with U.S. and Turkish government... $3,307.17
7-Rep. Jackie Speier (D-California, 14th)
Hashemi, Cookab Vontenc
04/18/14-04/26/14 Pacifica Institute Ankara, Turkey - Cappadocia, Turkey - ...
Met with Turkish government officials; toured historical sites; met with religious leaders $2,025.00
Ryan, Erin M.
12/13/13-12/22/13 Pacifica Institute Ankara, Turkey - Istanbul, Turkey
Visited historic and religious sites; met with Turkish officials $4,725.00
8-Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-North Carolina, 1st)
Hernandez, Saul Z.
04/27/13-05/05/13 Mid-Atlantic Federation of Turkic American Associations Ankara, Turkey - Istanbul, Turkey - ...
Participated in congressional trip to Turkey; met with academics, government officials, local citizens... $2,580.00
9-Rep. Lacy Clay (D-Missouri, 1st)
Jamry, Pauline Margaret
05/09/14-05/17/14 Turkish American Federation of Midwest Ankara, Turkey - Istanbul, Turkey - ... more
Met Turkish doctors, businessmen, journalists, politicians and educators. $3,667.6
10-Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas, 18th)
Jackson Lee, Rep. Sheila (D-TX)
05/27/13-05/30/13 Turquoise Council of Americans and Eurasians Baku, Azerbaijan
Participated in U.S. congressional delegation trip to Turkey and Azerbaijan; attended briefings; met... $12,033.90
11-Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Illinois, 4th)
Paucar, Theresa
08/22/14-08/30/14 Turkish American Federation of Midwest Ankara, Turkey - Istanbul, Turkey
Met with government officials and Turkish civilians to discuss U.S.-Turkish relations; visited histo... more $3,576.64
12-Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Kentucky, 2nd)
Miller, Joel Glen
04/18/14-04/27/14 Mid-Atlantic Federation of Turkic American Associations Ankara, Turkey - Istanbul, Turkey
Met with Turkish officials regarding U.S.-Turkey relations $2,580.00
13-Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio, 6th)
Orth, Patrick F. (Pat)
03/14/14-03/22/14 Turkic American Alliance Ankara, TurkeyCultural Mecca - Istanbul, Turkey - ...
Met with various journalists, politicians, businessmen and U.S. government officials to discuss the ... $2,617.30
14-Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Arizona, 4th)
Van Flein, Thomas V. (Tom)
12/13/13-12/22/13 Pacifica Institute Ankara, Turkey - Ephesus, Turkey - ... more
Visited historic and religious sites; met with Turkish officials $4,700.00
15-Rep. Filemon Vela (D-Texas, 34th)
Brody, Perry Finney
04/18/14-04/26/14 Pacifica Institute Ankara, Turkey - Cappadocia, Turkey - ... more
Met with Turkish government officials; toured historical sites; met with religious leaders
16-Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK)
Bridenstine, Rep. Jim (R-OK)
05/26/13-05/31/13 Turquoise Council of Americans and Eurasians Baku, Azerbaijan
Participated in U.S. Congressional Delegation Trip to Azerbaijan; attended briefings; met with gover... more $14,172.70
17-Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-Louisiana, 2nd)
Butterworth, Austin Zach (Zach)
05/24/13-06/02/13 Turkic American Alliance Ankara, Turkey - Istanbul, Turkey - ... more
Met with local business, political and non-governmental leaders and associations $4,055.00
18-Rep. George Holding (R-North Carolina, 13th)
Knott, Joseph Tucker (Tucker)
04/18/14-04/27/14 Mid-Atlantic Federation of Turkic American Associations Ankara, Turkey - Istanbul, Turkey - ... more
Met with Turkish officials regarding U.S.-Turkey relations $2,580.00
19-Rep. John J. Duncan (R-Tennessee, 2nd)
Black, David D.
05/25/13-05/30/13 Turkic American Federation of the Southeast Baku, Azerbaijan - Istanbul, Turkey
Met with national politicians from Turkey and Azerbaijan, as well as business leaders and local citi... more $2,655.00
20-Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Michigan, 5th)
Nienberg, Troy M.
08/22/14-08/30/14 Turkish American Federation of Midwest Ankara, Turkey - Istanbul, Turkey
Met with government officials and Turkish civilians to discuss U.S.-Turkish relations; visited histo... more $3,565.6
21-Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Alabama, 5th)
Vandiver, Lauren K.
05/24/13-06/02/13 Turkic American Alliance Ankara, Turkey - Istanbul, Turkey - ... more
Met with local business, political and non-governmental leaders and associations $4,055.00
22-Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-California, 32nd)
Chao, Daniel See
04/18/14-04/26/14 Pacifica Institute Istanbul, Turkey - Cappadocia, Turkey - ... more
Met with Turkish government officials; toured historical sites; met with religious leaders $1,725.00
23-Rep. Mike Honda (D-California, 17th)
Honda, Rep. Mike (D-CA)
08/20/13-08/28/13 Pacifica Institute Istanbul, Turkey
Met with Turkish government officials, local business leaders and U.S. government officials; toured ... more $5,675.00
24-Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Arizona, 3rd)
Villa, Cristina M.
12/13/13-12/22/13 Pacifica Institute Ankara, Turkey - Istanbul, Turkey - ... more
Visited historic and religious sites; met with Turkish officials $4,725.0
25-Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-California, 19th)
Leavandosky, Stacey E.
12/13/13-12/22/13 Pacifica Institute Ankara, Turkey - Istanbul, Turkey - ... more
Visited historic and religious sites; met with Turkish officials $4,725.00
26- Rep. Darrell Issa (R-California, 49th)
LoFranco, Justin Vincent
05/24/13-06/02/13 Turkic American Alliance Ankara, Turkey - Baku, Azerbaijan - ... more
Met with local business, political and non-governmental leaders and associations $6,110.00
http://www.dailysabah.com/politics/2015/02/06/gulen-movement-deceives-us-congressmen-attempts-to-cover-shadowy-activities
Gülen Movement deceives US congressmen, attempts to cover shadowy activities By MEHMET SOLMAZ, Published February 6, 2015 in The Daily Sabah
“Several template letters penned by the Gülenist lobby in the U.S. were sent to some congressmen to be signed and directed to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. A total of 89 congressmen signed one of the template letters that was filled with distorted information and is perceived as an attempt to harm Turkey and its ties with the U.S. Investigative journalist Nedim Şener, who claims his years of imprisonment were the result of writing a book that exposed the misconduct of Gülenist police officers, drew attention to a column penned by Gülenist newspaper Zaman's Editor-in-Chief Ekrem Dumanlı in 2011.
The irony of fate is that the senior Gülenist figure, who blatantly attacked the Turkish government after the movement's illegal activities became apparent, wrote that the movement sought foreign support in order to strengthen its political fight. The movement's leader, Fethullah Gülen, who called on Muslims to destroy "infidels" in one of his sermons, recently penned an opinion piece for the New York Times, in which he attempted to portray himself and his movement as peaceful.
The movement has been involved in alleged illegal activities and has increased its smear campaign against the state and has been involved in spreading false information regarding the events in the country. Only several years ago, when the hidden agendas of the shadowy movement were still covered, the top Gülenist media figure criticized the act of hoping for help from "foreign" circles.
"Anti-Democratic circles in Turkey, who have lost their hopes in the country, have now turned themselves abroad. They attend panels, hold meetings, pen articles, claiming pressure on the media. They claim it. These accusations are not new. They continuously complain foreigners about AK Party (The ruling Justice and Development Party), Erdoğan, Gülen and do all this under the name of journalism. They are settled in Brussels and Washington and do black propaganda at every opportunity. Those misinforming foreigners with false and distorted information are actually giving a political fight. They actually misinform their 'foreign friends' too as none of their analysis represents social reality," Gülen Movement owned Zaman newspaper's chief editor Dumanlı said in the column that was printed on Dec. 5, 2011.
It has recently been discovered that Gülen, who claims to base his movement on dialogue and tolerance between different religions, has previously made radical remarks allegedly encouraging Muslims to destroy "infidels." Gülen's call for taking violent action against non-Muslims can be traced to a recording of a sermon that he gave in the 1980s following the 1980 coup, when he left the city of İzmir and traveled to different cities in Anatolia.
In the recording, Gülen can be heard as saying, "We will ruin the plots of America and reveal their true side." These are particularly remarkable, radical and controversial sentiments given that he has been living in the U.S. in self-imposed exile since 1999. "We will turn the U.S.'s games upside down in the next five to 10 years," Gülen is heard saying in the sermon.
A detailed review of donations by Turkish citizens in election files showed that Gülen has been transferring huge amounts of money to candidates from both U.S. parties since 2006. Millions of dollars were contributed to a variety of politicians from President Barack Obama to Texas Republican Governor Rick Perry, who notoriously suggested the exclusion of Turkey from NATO and claimed that terrorists run the Turkish government.
The TAA, led by Faruk Taban, expressed in one of the template letters that was sent to U.S. congressmen its worries after some movement-linked media figures were briefly detained on charges of attempting to demonize a rival religious group through members in the judiciary and police. The movement is already accused of attempting a coup against an elected government and is now facing charges of establishing an armed terrorist organization led by Fethullah Gülen.
The TAA, which is believed to get direct orders from Gülen, wrote that Turkey topped journalist detentions in 2012 and attempted to link its current condition to those detentions of mainly Kurdish journalists, forgetting that the suspects were sent behind bars with alleged Gülen-linked prosecutors and police chiefs, bringing accusations against the Turkish government for suppressing press freedom. The shadowy organization later brought up the issue of the 1915 events and referenced the complaint against Turkish author Orhan Pamuk's statements referring to the events as genocide.
The TAA misinformed Kerry saying that Pamuk was arrested, when in fact he was put on trial without being arrested. The letter also drew attention to Freedom House, which downgraded its evaluation of the Turkish media in its 2013 report. The report in question stated that 44 journalists are imprisoned in Turkey, but following the release of 10 people in the aftermath of the publication of the report, five journalists were only held in jail and each are allegedly linked to a terrorist organization. Up until the government realized Gülenist infiltration of state institutions, Gülenist media outlets were leading the argument that Turkey was falsely accused of mistreating journalists and how organizations like Freedom House were carelessly putting Turkey into the same category as North Korea.”
I suspect that the primary authors of this letter had considerable help from some of the sameTurkish “intimidators” that they are now defending -- Gulenist lobbyists whose organization for years has notoriously contributed to human rights violations.
And now the shoe is on the other foot -- theirs.
For years and through their massive infiltration into Turkey’s government, courts, military, media, and police force, the Gulenists have manipulated pretty much any public entity possible – including the media. The Gulenists own some of the largest media companies in Turkey and as such, have been allowed to arbitrarily malign and discredit reputable citizens who oppose or question their distorted and narrow ideologies. And now they cry foul because the Turkish government has decided to take back its country – sans the Gulenists and their corruptive policies.
Okay, that’s a problem for Turkey – but the bigger problem here is that we have United States Congressional Representatives defending a group of criminals who not only have corrupted the political infrastructure in Turkey, but have likewise amassed a criminal empire here in the United States. The US Representatives are by proxy complicit in these underhanded activities when they accept Gulenist campaign contributions and free trips to Turkey.
The Turkish newspaper, The Daily Sabah, investigated the signatories of the Kerry letter, and found some interesting facts. Specifically, the paper reported 49% of the US Congressional Representatives that signed the letter had accepted Gulenist campaign contributions and free trips to Turkey.
Now that leads to the question – why?
Why for instance would the Gulenist lobby pay at least $180,000 for our US Congress Representatives to travel to Turkey? And according to The Daily Sabah, reports from the “The U.S. Federal Election Commission (FEC) in 2013 and 2014, showed that individuals affiliated with the Gülen Movement donated a total of $241,000 in 2013 and 2014 to 25 congressmen who signed the letter.”
Sure seems like a simple case of a “tit for tat,” or a “We gave you money and trips and now you sign the letter -- etc. ” strategy.
Interestingly, many of the Representative recipients of the Gulenists’ generosity are from states that host a significant number of the US publicly funded Gulenist charter schools.
For as much as the American taxpayers shell out in salaries for Congressional Representatives, I would like to believe that the people that we are paying to represent our interests (and those of our students), would actually do a little basic research on the very people that they are so eagerly and blindly accepting gratuities from -- before and not after - they stuff their fists with cash and their mouths with baklava.
Below are The Daily Sabah links and articles that provide more specific details:
http://www.dailysabah.com/politics/2015/02/09/gulen-movement-woos-us-congressmen-with-campaign-donations-and-free-trips
By RAGIP SOYLU, published on February 9, 2015 in The Daily Sabah
Gülen Movement woos US congressmen with campaign donations and free trips
“The Gülen Movement arranged all-expense-paid trips to Turkey and made campaign donations to 43 of the 88 U.S. congressmen, who in turn signed a template letter sent to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, claiming that media outlets linked to the movement were under pressure in Turkey.
The Gülen Movement, headed by Fethullah Gülen who resides in Pennsylvania in self-imposed exile, owns hundreds of schools around the world, dozens of media organs and other businesses and is accused of infiltrating key state institutions, including the police and judiciary, to wage a campaign against anyone it perceives as an opponent. Gülenist operatives in the U.S. sent several template letters to congressmen, who in turn were urged to forward them to Kerry to apply pressure on the Turkish government.
The congressional sponsors of the letter, which was forwarded on February 2, asked Kerry to take action against Turkey, claiming that Gülen-affiliated media organs were under crackdown. However, an investigation has revealed that the sponsors and almost half of the signatories had benefited from all-expense paid trips organized by several U.S.-based organizations of the movement or received campaign donations through Gülen affiliates. Arizona Republican Representative Matt Salmon, the main sponsor of the letter, was brought to Istanbul and Kayseri provinces in Turkey April 11-19 last year by the Arizona-based Foundation for Inter-Cultural Dialogue (FICD), which belongs to Gülenists. Salmon visited several businessmen and various media organs linked to the Gülen Movement during the trip, which according to congressional records cost $12,000.
The assistant of another sponsor, Missouri Democratic Representative Emanuel Cleaver, visited Istanbul March 14-22 last year, which was paid for by the Turkic-American Alliance (TAA). The TAA is known to conduct lobbying activities on behalf of the movement in Congress. Cleaver's assistant met journalists, businessmen and politicians affiliated with the movement during the trip, which cost $2,610.
Congressional records reveal that 26 congressmen or their aides benefited from the largesse of the Gülen Movement in 2013 and 2014, and all involved signed the letter sent to Kerry, which criticized both Turkey and Azerbaijan. Visits were paid for by TAA sub-branches and other U.S.-based Gülenist organizations, such as the Pacifica Institute.
The movement spent over $180,000 for such trips. The TAA, which was founded in 2010, is currently fed by various U.S. businesses linked to the movement to conduct lobbying activities. TAA Chairman Faruk Taban is known for his efforts to engage representatives and senators for support. Sources close to Congress told Daily Sabah that the movement employed the Armenian and Israel lobby in Congress to persuade the other signatories, who had not directly enjoyed free trips.
According to figures released by the U.S. Federal Election Commission (FEC) in 2013 and 2014, individuals affiliated with the Gülen Movement donated a total of $241,000 in 2013 and 2014 to 25 congressmen who signed the letter. Donations were mostly made by executives of pro-Gülenist institutions and companies and administrators of Charter Schools, which have been criticized for being privately run but publicly funded educational institutions. Gülenists donated a total of $43,500 to Henry Cuellar, a Democratic representative from Texas, in the past two years. Also in Texas, where the group has a strong presence, Democratic representatives Al Green and Sheila Jackson Lee received $46,000 and $23,000, respectively.
Members of the movement also utilize Super PACs, which are nearly impossible to monitor, to gain influence in the U.S. Congress. According to 2012 and 2013 figures, Gülen schools have around 60,000 pupils in the U.S. and receive an average of $10,608 in state funding per student. The annual sum of public funding for the 130 Gülen schools, with names such as Cosmos, Pioneer, Harmony, Magnolia and Horizon, total $636.48 million. These funds are then used by affiliated companies so that the movement profits from both schools and business activities. Gülenist contractors are used to build and equip schools and teachers who are members of the movement and brought over from Turkey with special visas. These teachers hand over most of their wages to the movement.”
Visits of congressmen or their representatives
1-Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ)
04/11/14-04/19/14 Foundation for Inter-Cultural Dialogue Istanbul, Kayseri, Turkey - Met with Turkish government officials and journalists; visited historical sites. $12,315.00
2-Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Missouri, 5th)
Privately Financed Travel Shapiro, Jennifer G.
03/14/14-03/22/14 Turkic American Alliance Ankara, Turkey - Istanbul, Turkey - Met with various journalists, politicians, businessmen and U.S. government officials to discuss the $2,617.30
3-Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Illinois, 1st)
Marshall, John P.
05/24/13-06/01/13 Turkish American Federation of Midwest Ankara, Turkey
Participated in a staff delegation to Turkey and Azerbaijan; met with government officials, business $4,397.00
Watkins, Stanley (Stan)
04/18/14-04/26/14 Pacifica Institute Ankara, TurkeyCultural Mecca - Cappadocia, Turkey - ... more
Met with Turkish government officials; toured historical sites; met with religious leaders $2,025.0
4-Rep. Danny Davis (D-Illinois, 7th)
Davis, Rep. Danny (D-IL)
05/27/13-05/30/13 Turkish American Federation of Midwest Baku, Azerbaijan
Attended meetings with politicians and government officials to discuss energy-related policies $24,084.00
Brown, Lavell P.
05/25/13-06/01/13 Turkish American Federation of Midwest Ankara, Turkey
Participated in a staff delegation to Turkey and Azerbaijan; met with government officials, business... more $3,607.00
5-Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas, 28th)
Margowsky, Miranda K.
10/17/14-10/25/14 Turkish American Federation of Midwest Istanbul, Turkey - Ankara, Turkey
Toured local universities and newspapers; visited historic sites; met with U.S. and Turkish government... $3,307.17 Travieso, Amy A.
05/24/13-05/31/13 Turquoise Council of Americans and Eurasians Ankara, Turkey - Istanbul, Turkey - ... more
Participated in U.S. congressional delegation trip to Turkey and Azerbaijan; attended briefings; met... more $5,290.00
Cuellar, Rep. Henry (D-TX)
01/06/13-01/13/13 Turquoise Council of Americans and Eurasians Istanbul, Turkey - Baku, Azerbaijan
Participated in a congressional delegation to Turkey and Azerbaijan; visited cultural and historic s... more $26,145.26
6- Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Illinois, 3rd)
Day, Jason O.
10/17/14-10/25/14 Turkish American Federation of Midwest Ankara, Turkey - Istanbul, Turkey
Toured local universities and newspapers; visited historic sites; met with U.S. and Turkish government... $3,307.17
7-Rep. Jackie Speier (D-California, 14th)
Hashemi, Cookab Vontenc
04/18/14-04/26/14 Pacifica Institute Ankara, Turkey - Cappadocia, Turkey - ...
Met with Turkish government officials; toured historical sites; met with religious leaders $2,025.00
Ryan, Erin M.
12/13/13-12/22/13 Pacifica Institute Ankara, Turkey - Istanbul, Turkey
Visited historic and religious sites; met with Turkish officials $4,725.00
8-Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-North Carolina, 1st)
Hernandez, Saul Z.
04/27/13-05/05/13 Mid-Atlantic Federation of Turkic American Associations Ankara, Turkey - Istanbul, Turkey - ...
Participated in congressional trip to Turkey; met with academics, government officials, local citizens... $2,580.00
9-Rep. Lacy Clay (D-Missouri, 1st)
Jamry, Pauline Margaret
05/09/14-05/17/14 Turkish American Federation of Midwest Ankara, Turkey - Istanbul, Turkey - ... more
Met Turkish doctors, businessmen, journalists, politicians and educators. $3,667.6
10-Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas, 18th)
Jackson Lee, Rep. Sheila (D-TX)
05/27/13-05/30/13 Turquoise Council of Americans and Eurasians Baku, Azerbaijan
Participated in U.S. congressional delegation trip to Turkey and Azerbaijan; attended briefings; met... $12,033.90
11-Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Illinois, 4th)
Paucar, Theresa
08/22/14-08/30/14 Turkish American Federation of Midwest Ankara, Turkey - Istanbul, Turkey
Met with government officials and Turkish civilians to discuss U.S.-Turkish relations; visited histo... more $3,576.64
12-Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Kentucky, 2nd)
Miller, Joel Glen
04/18/14-04/27/14 Mid-Atlantic Federation of Turkic American Associations Ankara, Turkey - Istanbul, Turkey
Met with Turkish officials regarding U.S.-Turkey relations $2,580.00
13-Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio, 6th)
Orth, Patrick F. (Pat)
03/14/14-03/22/14 Turkic American Alliance Ankara, TurkeyCultural Mecca - Istanbul, Turkey - ...
Met with various journalists, politicians, businessmen and U.S. government officials to discuss the ... $2,617.30
14-Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Arizona, 4th)
Van Flein, Thomas V. (Tom)
12/13/13-12/22/13 Pacifica Institute Ankara, Turkey - Ephesus, Turkey - ... more
Visited historic and religious sites; met with Turkish officials $4,700.00
15-Rep. Filemon Vela (D-Texas, 34th)
Brody, Perry Finney
04/18/14-04/26/14 Pacifica Institute Ankara, Turkey - Cappadocia, Turkey - ... more
Met with Turkish government officials; toured historical sites; met with religious leaders
16-Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK)
Bridenstine, Rep. Jim (R-OK)
05/26/13-05/31/13 Turquoise Council of Americans and Eurasians Baku, Azerbaijan
Participated in U.S. Congressional Delegation Trip to Azerbaijan; attended briefings; met with gover... more $14,172.70
17-Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-Louisiana, 2nd)
Butterworth, Austin Zach (Zach)
05/24/13-06/02/13 Turkic American Alliance Ankara, Turkey - Istanbul, Turkey - ... more
Met with local business, political and non-governmental leaders and associations $4,055.00
18-Rep. George Holding (R-North Carolina, 13th)
Knott, Joseph Tucker (Tucker)
04/18/14-04/27/14 Mid-Atlantic Federation of Turkic American Associations Ankara, Turkey - Istanbul, Turkey - ... more
Met with Turkish officials regarding U.S.-Turkey relations $2,580.00
19-Rep. John J. Duncan (R-Tennessee, 2nd)
Black, David D.
05/25/13-05/30/13 Turkic American Federation of the Southeast Baku, Azerbaijan - Istanbul, Turkey
Met with national politicians from Turkey and Azerbaijan, as well as business leaders and local citi... more $2,655.00
20-Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Michigan, 5th)
Nienberg, Troy M.
08/22/14-08/30/14 Turkish American Federation of Midwest Ankara, Turkey - Istanbul, Turkey
Met with government officials and Turkish civilians to discuss U.S.-Turkish relations; visited histo... more $3,565.6
21-Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Alabama, 5th)
Vandiver, Lauren K.
05/24/13-06/02/13 Turkic American Alliance Ankara, Turkey - Istanbul, Turkey - ... more
Met with local business, political and non-governmental leaders and associations $4,055.00
22-Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-California, 32nd)
Chao, Daniel See
04/18/14-04/26/14 Pacifica Institute Istanbul, Turkey - Cappadocia, Turkey - ... more
Met with Turkish government officials; toured historical sites; met with religious leaders $1,725.00
23-Rep. Mike Honda (D-California, 17th)
Honda, Rep. Mike (D-CA)
08/20/13-08/28/13 Pacifica Institute Istanbul, Turkey
Met with Turkish government officials, local business leaders and U.S. government officials; toured ... more $5,675.00
24-Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Arizona, 3rd)
Villa, Cristina M.
12/13/13-12/22/13 Pacifica Institute Ankara, Turkey - Istanbul, Turkey - ... more
Visited historic and religious sites; met with Turkish officials $4,725.0
25-Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-California, 19th)
Leavandosky, Stacey E.
12/13/13-12/22/13 Pacifica Institute Ankara, Turkey - Istanbul, Turkey - ... more
Visited historic and religious sites; met with Turkish officials $4,725.00
26- Rep. Darrell Issa (R-California, 49th)
LoFranco, Justin Vincent
05/24/13-06/02/13 Turkic American Alliance Ankara, Turkey - Baku, Azerbaijan - ... more
Met with local business, political and non-governmental leaders and associations $6,110.00
http://www.dailysabah.com/politics/2015/02/06/gulen-movement-deceives-us-congressmen-attempts-to-cover-shadowy-activities
Gülen Movement deceives US congressmen, attempts to cover shadowy activities By MEHMET SOLMAZ, Published February 6, 2015 in The Daily Sabah
“Several template letters penned by the Gülenist lobby in the U.S. were sent to some congressmen to be signed and directed to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. A total of 89 congressmen signed one of the template letters that was filled with distorted information and is perceived as an attempt to harm Turkey and its ties with the U.S. Investigative journalist Nedim Şener, who claims his years of imprisonment were the result of writing a book that exposed the misconduct of Gülenist police officers, drew attention to a column penned by Gülenist newspaper Zaman's Editor-in-Chief Ekrem Dumanlı in 2011.
The irony of fate is that the senior Gülenist figure, who blatantly attacked the Turkish government after the movement's illegal activities became apparent, wrote that the movement sought foreign support in order to strengthen its political fight. The movement's leader, Fethullah Gülen, who called on Muslims to destroy "infidels" in one of his sermons, recently penned an opinion piece for the New York Times, in which he attempted to portray himself and his movement as peaceful.
The movement has been involved in alleged illegal activities and has increased its smear campaign against the state and has been involved in spreading false information regarding the events in the country. Only several years ago, when the hidden agendas of the shadowy movement were still covered, the top Gülenist media figure criticized the act of hoping for help from "foreign" circles.
"Anti-Democratic circles in Turkey, who have lost their hopes in the country, have now turned themselves abroad. They attend panels, hold meetings, pen articles, claiming pressure on the media. They claim it. These accusations are not new. They continuously complain foreigners about AK Party (The ruling Justice and Development Party), Erdoğan, Gülen and do all this under the name of journalism. They are settled in Brussels and Washington and do black propaganda at every opportunity. Those misinforming foreigners with false and distorted information are actually giving a political fight. They actually misinform their 'foreign friends' too as none of their analysis represents social reality," Gülen Movement owned Zaman newspaper's chief editor Dumanlı said in the column that was printed on Dec. 5, 2011.
It has recently been discovered that Gülen, who claims to base his movement on dialogue and tolerance between different religions, has previously made radical remarks allegedly encouraging Muslims to destroy "infidels." Gülen's call for taking violent action against non-Muslims can be traced to a recording of a sermon that he gave in the 1980s following the 1980 coup, when he left the city of İzmir and traveled to different cities in Anatolia.
In the recording, Gülen can be heard as saying, "We will ruin the plots of America and reveal their true side." These are particularly remarkable, radical and controversial sentiments given that he has been living in the U.S. in self-imposed exile since 1999. "We will turn the U.S.'s games upside down in the next five to 10 years," Gülen is heard saying in the sermon.
A detailed review of donations by Turkish citizens in election files showed that Gülen has been transferring huge amounts of money to candidates from both U.S. parties since 2006. Millions of dollars were contributed to a variety of politicians from President Barack Obama to Texas Republican Governor Rick Perry, who notoriously suggested the exclusion of Turkey from NATO and claimed that terrorists run the Turkish government.
The TAA, led by Faruk Taban, expressed in one of the template letters that was sent to U.S. congressmen its worries after some movement-linked media figures were briefly detained on charges of attempting to demonize a rival religious group through members in the judiciary and police. The movement is already accused of attempting a coup against an elected government and is now facing charges of establishing an armed terrorist organization led by Fethullah Gülen.
The TAA, which is believed to get direct orders from Gülen, wrote that Turkey topped journalist detentions in 2012 and attempted to link its current condition to those detentions of mainly Kurdish journalists, forgetting that the suspects were sent behind bars with alleged Gülen-linked prosecutors and police chiefs, bringing accusations against the Turkish government for suppressing press freedom. The shadowy organization later brought up the issue of the 1915 events and referenced the complaint against Turkish author Orhan Pamuk's statements referring to the events as genocide.
The TAA misinformed Kerry saying that Pamuk was arrested, when in fact he was put on trial without being arrested. The letter also drew attention to Freedom House, which downgraded its evaluation of the Turkish media in its 2013 report. The report in question stated that 44 journalists are imprisoned in Turkey, but following the release of 10 people in the aftermath of the publication of the report, five journalists were only held in jail and each are allegedly linked to a terrorist organization. Up until the government realized Gülenist infiltration of state institutions, Gülenist media outlets were leading the argument that Turkey was falsely accused of mistreating journalists and how organizations like Freedom House were carelessly putting Turkey into the same category as North Korea.”
IN RESPONSE - AKP LEANING PAPER
SENDS E MAILS TO EACH MEMBER OF CONGRESS ASKING FOR
AN INTERVIEW AND ELABORATION ON WHY THEY SENT THIS LETTER
Additional extras from Tim Furman's site
"Dispatch from Gulenland" http://www.tbfurman.us/2015/02/dispatch-from-gulen-land.html
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
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