House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce is calling for the State Department to reject a $1.2 million arms deal between the United States and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's presidential security agency after an altercation in May between agency members and protesters in Washington.
"I am writing to urge the Department of State to reject the proposed sale of $1.2 million of semi-automatic handguns and ammunition to the security detail protecting the Turkish President," Royce, R-California, wrote in his letter, posted on Twitter by CBS News.
"The Department recently informed the Committee that it is considering an application to sell arms to the Turkish Department of Security of the Presidency," the letter continued. "This is the same force that was filmed attacking peaceful protesters outside the Turkish Ambassador's residence in Washington D.C. on May 16."
The State Department, Secret Service and Washington's Metropolitan Police Department are still investigating the May 16 incident, but have not released updates since a week later, reports The Washington Free Beacon.
D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham commented during a press conference shortly after the incident that diplomatic immunity may be an issue in pursuing a criminal case against the Turkish guards.
Last week, 40 members of Congress wrote a letter to the State Department and the Department of Justice calling for those involved in the incident to either be arrested or thrown out of the United States, and Royce's committee condemned the attack through a resolution.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.