Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 354, which forcefully condemns the shocking assault carried out here on American soil, here in our Nation's Capital, by trained paramilitary agents of the Turkish Presidential security force against a peaceful assembly of protesters who were exercising their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech. Video footage offers evidence that President Erdogan sanctioned the attack, and then calmly sat back to watch as his bodyguards carried it out. {time} 1645 Each of us in this Chamber must ask the question: What sort of foreign leader invited for an official visit by the President of the United States would conduct himself in such a reprehensible manner and would show such contempt for America's commitment to human rights and civil liberties? Make no mistake. This is the same man who has ordered mass incarcerations in his own country, who persecutes dissenters and jails democratically elected officials, and who locks up journalists on a whim. In fact, he is the number one jailer of journalists in the world. The assault on innocent protesters in the streets of Washington, D.C., is entirely consistent with the impulses of an autocratic Turkey. It has unmasked President Erdogan for the bully that he is and offers Americans a teachable moment on the character of official Turkey.…”