Trump vows no concessions to Turkey
PRESIDENT SAYS HE FEARS DISCREPANCIES BETWEEN HIS STATEMENTS TO MUELLER AND THOSE OF OTHERS
The lira weakened against the dollar yesterday after US President Donald Trump said he would give Turkey no concessions in return for the release of a detained American pastor, the latest salvo in a worsening rift between the Nato allies.
In an interview with Reuters on Monday, Trump criticised Ankara over the detention of the evangelical Christian pastor, Andrew Brunson, and said he was not concerned that his tough stance against Turkey could end up hurting European and emerging market economies.
Brunson, who is originally from North Carolina and has lived in Turkey for two decades, has been detained for 21 months on terrorism charges, which he denies. The pastor has become an unwitting flashpoint for the diplomatic tension, which has accelerated the crisis in the lira.
Trump said that, after he helped persuade Israel to free a detained Turkish citizen, he thought Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would then release Brunson. “I think they’re making a terrible mistake. There will be no concessions,” Trump told Reuters.
Turkish government officials did not comment on Trump’s remarks when they spoke after Eid prayers.
Donald Trump says he fears that an interview with the special counsel Robert Mueller would be a “perjury trap” — while pointing out that he could “run” the Russia investigation himself if he chose to.
In a wide ranging White House interview with the Reuters news agency on Monday, the US president expressed fears investigators could compare his statements with those of others who have testified in the inquiry, such as the former FBI director James Comey, and that any discrepancies could be used against him.
“Even if I’m telling the truth, that makes me a liar,” said Trump. “That’s no good.”
But he also asserted his authority, as president, over the investigation. “I’ve decided to stay out. Now, I don’t have to stay out, as you know. I can go in and I could ... do whatever, said Trump. “I could run it if I want.”
Rudy Giuliani, one of Trump’s legal team, has regularly warned that being interviewed by Mueller in the investigation, which is looking into Russian interference in the 2016 election and allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow, would be a perjury trap for the president.
The statements came only hours after Trump renewed his attacks on Mueller in one of his regular morning Twitter storms. He described the former FBI director as “disgraced and discredited” and repeated claims that the investigation was a “Rigged Witch Hunt” while calling it “a National Disgrace”.
Erdogan criticism
In the Reuters interview, Trump also renewed criticisms of the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, over the detainment of Andrew Brunson, an American pastor whom Turkey claims was involved in a coup attempt two years ago.
“I think it’s very sad what Turkey is doing. I think they’re making a terrible mistake. There will be no concessions,” said Trump.
The US has recently imposed tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminium in an attempt to pressure Erdogan to release the imprisoned American.
Trump also said that Erdogan had violated a deal reached in July under which Brunson would be released if the US could successfully pressure Israel to release Ebu Ozkan, a Turkish woman facing charges of aiding the fundamentalist group Hamas. Ozkan has since been released and Trump said that Erdoan had not kept up his end of the bargain.
Trump also indicated that he would “most likely” meet again with Kim Jong-un, the North Korean dictator.