Turkey Hits Back at Trump over Brunson Sanctions: ‘We Will Never Tolerate Threats from Anybody’. By John Hayward.

Andrew Brunson is a US pastor who has been in prison in Turkey for almost two years over accusations he helped individuals the Turkish government says were behind a failed coup.

Tweet from the Turkish Foreign Minister:

Both President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence said on Thursday that Turkey could face “significant sanctions” unless “this innocent man of faith is free,” as Pence put it.

Daily Sabah Washington correspondent Ragip Soylu wrote on Thursday afternoon that President Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appear to have held a “rough” telephone conversation on Thursday morning. “I know caving in after public threats isn’t among Erdogan’s personality traits,” he observed. …

Brunson was transferred to house arrest on Wednesday, ostensibly for health reasons. President Trump’s attorney Jay Sekulow indicated earlier in the week that house arrest could be a prelude to Brunson’s release. If such an arrangement was ever in the cards, the sudden war of words between the Trump and Erdogan administrations would suggest something went badly wrong at the last minute.

Historically Turkey has been the West’s worst enemy, twice almost conquering eastern Europe. It’s also responsible for genocide against Christians, such as the Armenians. It seems Erdogan is hell-bent on restoring Turkey to promoting Islam over everyone.

hat-tip Stephen Neil