President Donald Trump on Thursday tweeted that the U.S. will penalize Turkey with "large sanctions" for its "long time detainment" of an American pastor and called for his immediate release.
The Rev. Andrew Brunson, a Protestant missionary, has spent nearly two years in jail on charges of collaborating with Turkey’s foes and attempting to stir chaos by inciting hatred based on religious and ethnic differences.
Trump's tweet echoes comments Vice President Mike Pence made Wednesday night at a religious freedom summit.
While Brunson has been released from prison for health reasons, he remains under house arrest. Pence tweeted that he had talked by phone with the evangelical pastor from North Carolina.
Brunson, 50, has been detained in Turkey since 2016 after he was blamed for assisting rebels in a coup attempt against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, one many have speculated was of Erdogan's doing to tighten his grip on power in the country.
It's not the first time Trump has demanded Brunson be released.
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