Erdogan to US Intel Chief: Know Your Place

Says Clapper's Criticism 'Giving Yourselves Away'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan angrily condemned comments from US Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, saying it wasn’t up to Clapper to assess the post-coup purge and that he should “know your place.”

Erdogan went on to accuse the US of involvement in the coup, insisting “my people know who is behind this scheme,” and adding that with his criticism Clapper and others “are giving yourselves away.” He added that accused coup plotter Fethullah Gulen was “already in your country, you are already feeding him,” and demanded immediate extradition.

Clapper’s comments at the Aspen Security Forum centered on the purge of a number of high ranking Turkish military officers with close ties to the US during the purge, saying that the move was not only harming the ability of the US to coordinate with Turkey’s military, but also hurting the ISIS war.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also insisted that Clapper’s comments were “ridiculous,” and insisted that Turkey’s military could be even more efficient after the purge. Clapper has yet to respond to Erdogan’s condemnation, though Gen. Votel, who was with Clapper at the forum, denied Erdogan’s claims he was involved in the coup.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.