Turkish Government's Pattern of Attempted Influence in U.S. Politics Continues
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Several recent political scandals in the U.S. involve the Turkish government trying to influence policy, such as the cases of Michael Flynn and Jean Schmidt.
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Turkish organizations that advance Ankara's interests lobby U.S. officials extensively, seen in the high number of privately sponsored trips for lawmakers.
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Examples like the Halkbank case and Fethullah Gulen extradition request show Turkey believes political interference common there works in the U.S. too.
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Turkish leaders often misunderstand the U.S. justice system as flexible and easily weaponized against opponents, as seen in the proposed prisoner swaps.
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The Eric Adams scandal continues a pattern of Turkey imposing its corrupt patronage system onto U.S. municipalities through figures like Rudy Giuliani.