File 031480
Email Chain on Fethullah Gulen Extradition and Turkish Coup (File 031480)
Email correspondence between lawyers and colleagues regarding media coverage of Fethullah Gulen's extradition demands by Turkish authorities following the July 2016 coup attempt, with lawyer Reid Weingarten expressing concerns about his client's safety.
Summary
This email chain from August 5, 2016 discusses press coverage of Turkish authorities' demands to extradite Fethullah Gulen to Turkey in connection with the failed July 2016 coup attempt. Reid Weingarten and colleagues at law firm Steptoe & Johnson LLP share multiple news articles from the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Al Arabiya, and BBC covering Gulen's lawyers' statement that they fear for his life and believe extradition would be unprecedented and appalling. Weingarten argues that an extradition request would be unlikely to succeed in U.S. courts given concerns about evidence and Gulen's fair trial prospects in Turkey.
From: Weingarten, ReidSent: 8/5/2016 7:39:39 PMTo: jeffrey E. [jeeyacation@gmail.com]Subject: RE: FW: Audio recordingImportance: HighFrom: Jeffrey E. [mailto:jeevacation@gmail.com]Sent: Friday, August 05, 2016 3:19 PMTo: Weingarten, ReidSubject: Re: FW: Audio recordingfunny can you speakOn Fri, Aug 5, 2016 at 3:11 PM, Weingarten, Reid <_____________________________ wrote:From: Will Bohlen [mailto________________________________Sent: Friday, August 05, 2016 1:49 PMTo: Keough, Michael; King, Kathryn; Miller, Michael; Katelyn Wohlford; Y. Alp Aslandogan;Weingarten, Reid; Remzi Kulen; Weinstein, Jason; Osman Oz.; David Mann; Erin Billings; Drake,WilliamCc: Eliopoulos, StevenSubject: RE: Audio recordingWall St Journal:http://www.wsj.com/articles/lawyers-for-imam-wanted-by-turkish-authorities-fear-for-their-clients-life-1470418445Lawyers for Imam Wanted by TurkishAuthorities Fear for Their Client's LifeFethullah Gulen has been accused by Turkish President Erdogan ofordering the launch of July coupDEVLIN BARRETTAug. 5, 2016 1:34 p.m. ETLawyers for the imam living in Pennsylvania whom Turkish authorities accuse of directing a coup last month inthat country said Friday they fear for his life and may ask U.S. authorities to help protect him.HOUSE OVERSIGHT 031480Since the failed coup that led to the deaths of 271 people, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accusedthe imam, Fethullah Gulen, of issuing instructions to launch the coup, a charge Mr. Gulen has denied.Turkish authorities have demanded the U.S. extradite Mr. Gulen immediately to Turkey, but The Wall StreetJournal reported Thursday that U.S. officials don't expect to do that, citing people familiar with the discussions.U.S. officials see problems with the evidence presented thus far by Turkey, and they are concernedabout strident public statements made by Turkish leaders against Mr. Gulen, those people said.Mr. Erdogan has called Mr. Gulen and his supporters a terrorist network, a charge U.S. officials have longdiscounted. Turkey in May officially designated Mr. Gulen's network a terrorist organization, makingmembership a crime under Turkish law.Mr. Erdogan's government has pressed the Obama administration since the coup to extradite Mr. Gulen,arguing that pursuing the imam is part of the broader campaign against terrorism. At times, the Turkish leader'saides have said Ankara would view as hostile any foreign government that gave sanctuary to leaders of theGulen movement.Turkey hasn't yet made a formal extradition request to the U.S., and Turkish officials say they plan to providemore evidence to the Justice Department.Mr. Gulen, 75 years old, came to the U.S. in 1999, and has a devoted following in Turkey and other countries.At a press conference in Washington on Friday, Mr. Gulen's lawyers said they have spoken to the JusticeDepartment about the demands for extradition but are unaware of the U.S. government's thinking or plans.Asked if they feared for his life, one of Mr. Gulen's lawyers, Reid Weingarten said, "We do. We're veryconcerned about his safety." The lawyer said they are discussing whether to ask U.S. authorities for help insafeguarding their client.A Turkish court has issued a warrant for Mr. Gulen's arrest, and Turkish and U.S. authorities have privatelydiscussed scenarios in which Mr. Gulen might be extradited. But several U.S. officials said they cannot nowenvision a scenario in which they turn him over to Turkey."It would be unprecedented and appalling if the U.S. took a frail, almost octogenarian, plopped him on a planeto go back into that kind of setting with the hideous things that are being said about him by the entire Turkishgovernment," said Mr. Weingarten.HOUSE OVERSIGHT 031481"The bluster, the conspiracy theories, and the threats of Mr. Erdogan are not strong enough to overwhelm theAmerican legal system," he added. "And for that reason we believe that Mr. Gulen should not and will not beextradited."Mr. Weingarten said the chances that his client helped plot a coup from his base in the Poconos is "about aslikely" as a meteor striking the lawyer's office while he was speaking.Write to Devlin Barrett at devlin.barrett@wsj.comFrom: Keough, MichaelSent: Friday, August 05, 2016 1:28 PMTo: Will Bohlen (IMM>; Katelyn Wohlford>; Weingarten, Reid>; King, KaWeinstein, Jason Osman Oz.•_>; Erin Billings <________________Cc: Eliopoulos, Steven <Subject: RE: Audio recordingthryn <==>; Miller, Michael>; Y. Alp Aslandogan; Remzi Kulen <<MI; David Mannk Drake, William <USA TODAY and Al Arabiya as well:http ://www.us ato day. c om/story/news/world/2016/08/05/cleric -extradition-turkey-coup/88288220/http ://english. alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2016/08/05/US -evaluating-new-Turkish-do cuments-on-Gulen.htmlMichael A. KeoughAssociatelirectSteptoefaxSteptoe & Johnson LLP1114 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10036www.steptoe.comThis message and any attached documents contain information from the law firm Steptoe & Johnson LLP that may be confidential and/or privileged. If you are not theintended recipient, please do not read, copy, distribute, or use this information. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately byreply e-mail and then delete this message.From: Will Bohlen [mailtoSent: Friday, August 05, 2016 1:27 PMHOUSE OVERSIGHT 031482To: Keough, Michael; King, Kathryn; Miller, Michael; Katelyn Wohlford; Y. Alp Aslandogan;Weingarten, Reid; Remzi Kulen; Weinstein, Jason; Osman Oz.; David Mann; Erin Billings; Drake,WilliamCc: Eliopoulos, StevenSubject: RE: Audio recordingBBC story:http://www.bbc.comInews/world-europe-36988726Turkey coup bid: Fethullah Gulen's lawyersfear attack on his life• 25 minutes agoLawyers for US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen say they fear an attack on his life, in the wake of the failed coupattempt on 15 July in Turkey.Turkey has issued an arrest warrant for Mr Gulen, accusing him of orchestrating the coup attempt. It has called on the US toextradite him.Mr Gulen denies any involvement.Turkey has cracked down heavily in the wake of the coup attempt. On Friday the governing AK Party ordered an internal purgeof Gulen supporters.More than 270 people died in events surrounding the coup attempt.Speaking at a news conference in Washington, Mr Gulen's lawyers said they expected him to remain at the Pennsylvaniacompound where he lives in self-imposed exile, and not attempt to flee.Mr Gulen is a reclusive figure who rarely makes contact with the media.Although Turkey has demanded his extradition, it has yet to make a formal request.The US has said its judiciary will consider a request if and when it is filed. It also asked for evidence of the cleric's involvementin the coup attempt, which Turkey says it has supplied.Mr Gulen's lawyers said it was most unlikely any extradition request would stand up in a US court and almost no chance thattheir client would get a fair trial in Turkey, given what had been said against him there since the coup attempt.One of the lawyers, Reid Weingarten, said: "It would be unprecedented and appalling if the United States took a frail almost-octogenarian, plopped him on a plane to go back into that kind of setting with the hideous things that are being said about himby the entire Turkish government."Much of Turkey's crackdown has targeted perceived supporters of the cleric.Tens of thousands of public sector workers have been suspended or dismissed, with many having their passports cancelled.There has also been a massive reshuffle of the military.About 18,000 people have been detained or arrested.Now local branches of the AK Party have been told to begin a purge of suspected Gulenists in their ranks.Mr Gulen had been a close ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan until a bitter split between his movement and the party ofthe president three years ago.Turkey has listed Mr Gulen's movement as a terrorist organisation.HOUSE OVERSIGHT 031483From: Will BohlenSent: Friday, August 05, 2016 1:19 PMTo: 'Keough, Michael' <; King, Kathryn <>; Miller, Michael>; Katelyn Wohlford Y. Alp AslandoganWeingarten, Reid <>; Remzi Kulen <II>;Weinstein, Jason <1; Osman Oz. <___________________________________ „. II . >; David Mann____________________________t>; Erin Billings <___________________________________________>; Drake, William <Cc: Eliopoulos, StevenSubject: RE: Audio recordingThank you, Michael.Reuters story just posted:http://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-security-gulen-idUSKCN10G1P8?i1=0World Fri Aug 5, 2016 1:07pm EDTRelated: WORLDLawyers for U.S.-basedTurkish cleric fear attackson his lifeWASHINGTON BY JULIA HARTELawyers for U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen said on Fridaythey feared attacks on his life following Turkey's demands that he beextradited to face allegations that he ordered a failed coup against thegovernment last month.The lawyers said they expected Gulen, who has denied anyinvolvement in the July 15 coup attempt, will remain in his remotemountain compound in Pennsylvania.HOUSE OVERSIGHT 031484"We have read concerns from Turkey that Mr. Gulen, this elderly, frailreligious leader, is going to flee to another country," said Steptoe &Johnson LLP attorney Reid Weingarten on Friday, calling suchallegations "absurd."Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has blamed Gulen for the violence,in which Erdogan said 237 people were killed excluding the plottersand more than 2,100 wounded, and said the United States shouldextradite him to Turkey. The U.S. government has not done so, andthe dispute has raised questions about relations between the two allies.Turkey, a member of the NATO alliance, hosts American troops andwarplanes at Incirlik Air Base, an important staging area for the U.S.-led fight against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.At a news conference in Washington, Weingarten and Michael Miller,another Steptoe attorney, said evidence from a 2015 case financed bythe Turkish government against Gulen in U.S. federal court inPennsylvania showed that the Turkish government relies on dubiousproof to make its case against him.That case alleged Gulen issued coded orders to followers in theTurkish judiciary in a 2009 sermon to persecute members of anotherreligious sect. It also alleged that the script of a popular Turkishtelevision show was laced with follow-up messages. The case wasdismissed by a judge in June.Turkish government officials, however, say such evidence is validbecause Gulen operates covertly and sends encoded messages to hisfollowers.Turkey has sent the United States new documents in recent dayscontaining evidence that Turkish authorities say proves the cleric wasHOUSE OVERSIGHT 031485behind the attempted coup. U.S. officials say they are looking throughthem.(Reporting by Julia Harte, Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and JamesDalgleish)From: Keough, Michael [mailto:Sent: Friday, August 05, 2016 1:10 PMTo: Will Bohlen ______________________________________ King, Kathryn <.>; Miller, MichaelKatelyn Wohlford Y. Alp AslandoganWeingarten, Reid ___________________________________ Remzi KulenWeinstein, Jason < ; Osman Oz. <011.>; David Mann>; Erin Billings 111111=11:; Drake, William <______Cc: Eliopoulos, Steven<=1=Subject: RE: Audio recordingFYI — our vendor is creating a transcript from the audio recording, so I'll send that around when it's ready.Michael A. KeoughAssociatedirect faxSteptoeSteptoe & Johnson LLP1114 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10036www.steptoe.comThis message and any attached documents contain information from the law firm Steptoe & Johnson LLP that may be confidential and/or privileged. If you are not theintended recipient, please do not read, copy, distribute, or use this information. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately byreply e-mail and then delete this message.From: Will Bohlen [mailto:Sent: Friday, August 05, 2016 12:50 PMTo: King, Kathryn; Miller, Michael; Katelyn Wohlford; Y. Alp Aslandogan; Weingarten, Reid; RemziKulen; Weinstein, Jason; Osman Oz.; David Mann; Erin Billings; Drake, William; Keough, MichaelCc: Eliopoulos, StevenSubject: RE: Audio recordingAh, yes. That makes sense. Thank you.HOUSE OVERSIGHT 031486From: King, Kathryn [mailtcSent: Friday, August 05, 2016 12:48 PMTo: Will Bohlen Miller, Michae ›; Katelyn Wohlford<IONOMMEMOOMMINM>; Y. Alp Aslandogan <N.>; Weingarten, Reid›; Remzi Kulen <MIIMMIIMI>; Weinstein, Jason <Osman Oz. <>; David Mann <..; Erin BillingsCc: Eliopoulos, Steven <; Drake, William .1›; Keough, MichaelSubject: RE: Audio recording1>;Will, if you're concerned that people might want to slice it up, then we likely should not go with the FTP site (option A),because the link would not be protected and someone could find it. Posting on Steptoe's YouTube channel (option B)with secured settings would make the link only accessible to those who receive the link. It would also provide reporterswith a faster way to view the video since they would not have to download it. Does that make sense?From: Will Bohlen [mailto:Sent: Friday, August 05, 2016 12:36 PMTo: King, Kathryn; Miller, Michael; Katelyn Wohlford; Y. Alp Aslandogan; Weingarten, Reid; RemziKulen; Weinstein, Jason; Osman Oz.; David Mann; Erin Billings; Drake, William; Keough, MichaelCc: Eliopoulos, StevenSubject: RE: Audio recordingThank you, Kathy. I think for now the FTP site is the right choice for getting it in the hands of reporters. We don't want ittoo accessible to people who might slice it up, and a youtube link would travel faster, I believe. We eventually want totrim the video into chunks and post on YouTube through AFSV's channels.From: King, Kathryn [mailtoSent: Friday, August 05, 2016 12:27 PMTo: Miller, Michael Katelyn Wohlford__________________________ Weingarten, ReidWeinstein, Jason ; Osman Oz.Erin BillingsWill Bohlen Keough, MichaelCc: Eliopoulos, Steven ________________________________Subject: Audio recording11111111All,Remzi KulenDavid MannDrake, William; Y. Alp AslandoganI just received a copy of the audio recording with Q&A. The video recording will be available mid-to-late afternoon. Asthe file will be too large to distribute via email, we have two posting options:a) Upload to Steptoe's FTP site, where the file is public but not (easily) discoverable to the casual Steptoe.com browser orsearcher. We would send reporters the link, at which point they would download the recording in order to watch it.B) Upload the file to Steptoe's YouTube channel and set the security around the video so that it's only watchable bysomeone who has the link. It would not be discoverable by anyone who doesn't have the exact URL (searching orHOUSE OVERSIGHT 031487browsing). The advantage with this option is the reporters could watch the video via the YouTube player, rather thandownloading a file.I believe our preference is the second choice?Thanks,KathyKathy KingDirector, Media & Public Relationsdirect faxSteptoeSteptoe & Johnson LLP1330 Connecticut Avenue, NWWashington, DC 20036www.steptoe.comThis message and any attached documents contain information from the law firm Steptoe & Johnson LLP that may be confidential and/or privileged. If you are not theintended recipient, please do not read, copy, distribute, or use this information. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately byreply e-mail and then delete this message.please noteThe information contained in this communication isconfidential, may be attorney-client privileged, mayconstitute inside information, and is intended only forthe use of the addressee. It is the property ofJEEUnauthorized use, disclosure or copying of thiscommunication or any part thereof is strictly prohibitedand may be unlawful. If you have received thiscommunication in error, please notify us immediately byreturn e-mail or by e-mail to jeevacation@gmail.com, anddestroy this communication and all copies thereof,including all attachments. copyright -all rights reservedHOUSE OVERSIGHT 031488