In rebuke to Trump, Senate Republicans move closer to sanctioning Turkey
Senate Republicans are following through on a long-held threat to pursue legislative action against Turkey after its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, doubled down in recent days on a Russian-made missile defense system that has complicated Ankara’s strategic alliance with the United States.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will consider legislation next week to formally sanction the NATO ally over its purchase and recent testing of the S-400 system, the panel’s GOP chairman, Jim Risch of Idaho, told McClatchy on Monday evening.
Less than three weeks ago, Risch and four other Republican senators sat with Erdogan and President Donald Trump in the Oval Office to underscore their disapproval of Turkey’s defense deal with Moscow, which Defense Department officials warn could jeopardize the integrity of U.S.-made defense systems in Turkey and elsewhere among integrated NATO systems.
Rather than heed their warnings, Erdogan began testing the system — against U.S.-made fighter jets — and invited a Russian state arms exporter to the Turkish capital to discuss even more S-400 sales to come.
“My patience wore thin a long time ago,” Risch said Monday.
Risch’s plans to move forward with a sanctions bill follows a scathing letter that Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., sent earlier in the day with Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is leading the Trump administration’s effort to forge a resolution to the impasse.
“The time for patience has long expired,” the two senators wrote.
Congress has never before sanctioned a NATO ally, and Republicans had been holding off on doing so against Turkey to give Trump and Pompeo time to negotiate an agreement.
They argue that Trump is already obligated by law to sanction Turkey — in accordance with the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act of 2017, or CAATSA — for the S-400 purchase. So far, Trump has declined to do so.
Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott, who was one of a group of Republican senators to confront Erdogan at the White House meeting, also made clear Monday he remained committed to holding Turkey accountable.
“So far, we haven’t seen Turkey adjust its posture towards Russia, so Senator Scott stands with his colleagues in urging the administration to sanction Turkey for purchasing the S-400 missile system,” Scott spokesperson Chris Hartline said in a statement, adding that the U.S. should reevaluate Turkey’s NATO membership as well.
Despite the resurgence of calls for action, however, there is no guarantee the strong rhetoric and a committee debate will compel Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to allow a floor vote on legislation condemning Turkey.
The Kentucky Republican has hinted in the past his reluctance to formally condemn a NATO ally. The international security alliance is convening this week in London.
Sanctioning Turkey would also be perceived as a rebuke of Trump, since the president has expressed little willingness to punish Erdogan for his actions.
McConnell’s office had no immediate comment on Monday evening on how the Senate leader would proceed with any sanction legislation that Risch’s committee advances next week.
The Monday letter to Pompeo, and planned committee debate on sanctions, could be a sign that Trump’s allies weren’t bluffing in November when they said administration officials had “weeks, not months” to meet Congress’s concerns about the S-400 purchase and Turkey’s attacks on Kurdish allies after Trump withdrew U.S. troops from Syria.
“I think he is very open to making sure we send a clear signal, if you buy the S-400, you’re not doing business with us,” Graham said of McConnell on Monday night.
Risch’s bill — co-sponsored by the top Foreign Relations Committee Democrat, Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey — would require the administration to produce a strategy to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, authorize humanitarian assistance to Syrian civilians and restrict arms sales to Turkey.
Alex Daugherty contributed to this report.
This story was originally published December 2, 2019 at 9:04 PM.
