Giuliani Told Trump to Extradite Anti-Erdogan Muslim Cleric to Turkey, Says Report

Rudy Giuliani urged President Trump to extradite a Muslim cleric to Turkey, where he's wanted for allegedly plotting a coup attempt against President Recip Tayyip Erdogan, according to The Washington Post. Giuliani reportedly told Trump in 2017 that he should grant Erdogan’s wishes to extradite Fethullah Gulen, a permanent U.S. resident who lives in exile in Pennsylvania, to Turkey. Gulen has always denied any involvement in the 2016 plot against Erdogan. Giuliani’s reported overtures to Trump appear to another example of him pushing a shadow foreign policy from outside government. One former official described the Gulen subject as Giuliani’s “hobby horse” at the time, and some White House aides reportedly became concerned that Giuliani was making the case on behalf of Erdogan’s government. One former administration official recalled Trump asked why Gulen couldn’t be turned over to Turkey, and referred to Erdogan as “my friend.”