Document Text Content
From: Weingarten, Reid
Sent: 8/5/2016 7:39:39 PM
To: jeffrey E. [jeeyacation@gmail.com]
Subject: RE: FW: Audio recording
Importance: High
From: Jeffrey E. [mailto:jeevacation@gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, August 05, 2016 3:19 PM
To: Weingarten, Reid
Subject: Re: FW: Audio recording
funny can you speak
On Fri, Aug 5, 2016 at 3:11 PM, Weingarten, Reid <_____________________________ wrote:
From: Will Bohlen [mailto________________________________
Sent: Friday, August 05, 2016 1:49 PM
To: Keough, Michael; King, Kathryn; Miller, Michael; Katelyn Wohlford; Y. Alp Aslandogan;
Weingarten, Reid; Remzi Kulen; Weinstein, Jason; Osman Oz.; David Mann; Erin Billings; Drake,
William
Cc: Eliopoulos, Steven
Subject: RE: Audio recording
Wall St Journal:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/lawyers-for-imam-wanted-by-turkish-authorities-fear-for-their-clients-life-1470418445
Lawyers for Imam Wanted by Turkish
Authorities Fear for Their Client's Life
Fethullah Gulen has been accused by Turkish President Erdogan of
ordering the launch of July coup
DEVLIN BARRETT
Aug. 5, 2016 1:34 p.m. ET
Lawyers for the imam living in Pennsylvania whom Turkish authorities accuse of directing a coup last month in
that country said Friday they fear for his life and may ask U.S. authorities to help protect him.
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Since the failed coup that led to the deaths of 271 people, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused
the 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 Street
Journal 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 concerned
about 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 long
discounted. Turkey in May officially designated Mr. Gulen's network a terrorist organization, making
membership 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's
aides have said Ankara would view as hostile any foreign government that gave sanctuary to leaders of the
Gulen movement.
Turkey hasn't yet made a formal extradition request to the U.S., and Turkish officials say they plan to provide
more 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 Justice
Department 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 very
concerned about his safety." The lawyer said they are discussing whether to ask U.S. authorities for help in
safeguarding their client.
A Turkish court has issued a warrant for Mr. Gulen's arrest, and Turkish and U.S. authorities have privately
discussed scenarios in which Mr. Gulen might be extradited. But several U.S. officials said they cannot now
envision 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 plane
to go back into that kind of setting with the hideous things that are being said about him by the entire Turkish
government," said Mr. Weingarten.
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"The bluster, the conspiracy theories, and the threats of Mr. Erdogan are not strong enough to overwhelm the
American legal system," he added. "And for that reason we believe that Mr. Gulen should not and will not be
extradited."
Mr. Weingarten said the chances that his client helped plot a coup from his base in the Poconos is "about as
likely" as a meteor striking the lawyer's office while he was speaking.
Write to Devlin Barrett at devlin.barrett@wsj.com
From: Keough, Michael
Sent: Friday, August 05, 2016 1:28 PM
To: Will Bohlen (IMM
>; Katelyn Wohlford
>; Weingarten, Reid
>; King, Ka
Weinstein, Jason Osman Oz.
•_>; Erin Billings <________________
Cc: Eliopoulos, Steven <
Subject: RE: Audio recording
thryn <==>; Miller, Michael
>; Y. Alp Aslandogan
; Remzi Kulen <
<MI; David Mann
k 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.html
Michael A. Keough
Associate
lirect
Steptoe
fax
Steptoe & Johnson LLP
1114 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10036
www.steptoe.com
This 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 the
intended recipient, please do not read, copy, distribute, or use this information. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately by
reply e-mail and then delete this message.
From: Will Bohlen [mailto
Sent: Friday, August 05, 2016 1:27 PM
HOUSE OVERSIGHT 031482
To: Keough, Michael; King, Kathryn; Miller, Michael; Katelyn Wohlford; Y. Alp Aslandogan;
Weingarten, Reid; Remzi Kulen; Weinstein, Jason; Osman Oz.; David Mann; Erin Billings; Drake,
William
Cc: Eliopoulos, Steven
Subject: RE: Audio recording
BBC story:
http://www.bbc.comInews/world-europe-36988726
Turkey coup bid: Fethullah Gulen's lawyers
fear attack on his life
• 25 minutes ago
Lawyers for US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen say they fear an attack on his life, in the wake of the failed coup
attempt 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 to
extradite 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 purge
of 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 Pennsylvania
compound 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 involvement
in 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 that
their 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 him
by 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 of
the president three years ago.
Turkey has listed Mr Gulen's movement as a terrorist organisation.
HOUSE OVERSIGHT 031483
From: Will Bohlen
Sent: Friday, August 05, 2016 1:19 PM
To: 'Keough, Michael' <; King, Kathryn <>; Miller, Michael
>; Katelyn Wohlford Y. Alp Aslandogan
Weingarten, Reid <>; Remzi Kulen <II>;
Weinstein, Jason <1; Osman Oz. <___________________________________ „. II . >; David Mann
____________________________t>; Erin Billings <___________________________________________>; Drake, William <
Cc: Eliopoulos, Steven
Subject: RE: Audio recording
Thank you, Michael.
Reuters story just posted:
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-security-gulen-idUSKCN10G1P8?i1=0
World Fri Aug 5, 2016 1:07pm EDT
Related: WORLD
Lawyers for U.S.-based
Turkish cleric fear attacks
on his life
WASHINGTON BY JULIA HARTE
Lawyers for U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen said on Friday
they feared attacks on his life following Turkey's demands that he be
extradited to face allegations that he ordered a failed coup against the
government last month.
The lawyers said they expected Gulen, who has denied any
involvement in the July 15 coup attempt, will remain in his remote
mountain compound in Pennsylvania.
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"We have read concerns from Turkey that Mr. Gulen, this elderly, frail
religious leader, is going to flee to another country," said Steptoe &
Johnson LLP attorney Reid Weingarten on Friday, calling such
allegations "absurd."
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has blamed Gulen for the violence,
in which Erdogan said 237 people were killed excluding the plotters
and more than 2,100 wounded, and said the United States should
extradite him to Turkey. The U.S. government has not done so, and
the dispute has raised questions about relations between the two allies.
Turkey, a member of the NATO alliance, hosts American troops and
warplanes 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 by
the Turkish government against Gulen in U.S. federal court in
Pennsylvania showed that the Turkish government relies on dubious
proof to make its case against him.
That case alleged Gulen issued coded orders to followers in the
Turkish judiciary in a 2009 sermon to persecute members of another
religious sect. It also alleged that the script of a popular Turkish
television show was laced with follow-up messages. The case was
dismissed by a judge in June.
Turkish government officials, however, say such evidence is valid
because Gulen operates covertly and sends encoded messages to his
followers.
Turkey has sent the United States new documents in recent days
containing evidence that Turkish authorities say proves the cleric was
HOUSE OVERSIGHT 031485
behind the attempted coup. U.S. officials say they are looking through
them.
(Reporting by Julia Harte, Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and James
Dalgleish)
From: Keough, Michael [mailto:
Sent: Friday, August 05, 2016 1:10 PM
To: Will Bohlen ______________________________________ King, Kathryn <.>; Miller, Michael
Katelyn Wohlford Y. Alp Aslandogan
Weingarten, Reid ___________________________________ Remzi Kulen
Weinstein, Jason < ; Osman Oz. <011.>; David Mann
>; Erin Billings 111111=11:; Drake, William <______
Cc: Eliopoulos, Steven
<=1=
Subject: RE: Audio recording
FYI — our vendor is creating a transcript from the audio recording, so I'll send that around when it's ready.
Michael A. Keough
Associate
direct fax
Steptoe
Steptoe & Johnson LLP
1114 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10036
www.steptoe.com
This 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 the
intended recipient, please do not read, copy, distribute, or use this information. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately by
reply e-mail and then delete this message.
From: Will Bohlen [mailto:
Sent: Friday, August 05, 2016 12:50 PM
To: King, Kathryn; Miller, Michael; Katelyn Wohlford; Y. Alp Aslandogan; Weingarten, Reid; Remzi
Kulen; Weinstein, Jason; Osman Oz.; David Mann; Erin Billings; Drake, William; Keough, Michael
Cc: Eliopoulos, Steven
Subject: RE: Audio recording
Ah, yes. That makes sense. Thank you.
HOUSE OVERSIGHT 031486
From: King, Kathryn [mailtc
Sent: Friday, August 05, 2016 12:48 PM
To: Will Bohlen Miller, Michae ›; Katelyn Wohlford
<IONOMMEMOOMMINM>; Y. Alp Aslandogan <N.>; Weingarten, Reid
›; Remzi Kulen <MIIMMIIMI>; Weinstein, Jason <
Osman Oz. <>; David Mann <..; Erin Billings
Cc: Eliopoulos, Steven <
; Drake, William .1›; Keough, Michael
Subject: RE: Audio recording
1>;
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 reporters
with 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 PM
To: King, Kathryn; Miller, Michael; Katelyn Wohlford; Y. Alp Aslandogan; Weingarten, Reid; Remzi
Kulen; Weinstein, Jason; Osman Oz.; David Mann; Erin Billings; Drake, William; Keough, Michael
Cc: Eliopoulos, Steven
Subject: RE: Audio recording
Thank 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 it
too accessible to people who might slice it up, and a youtube link would travel faster, I believe. We eventually want to
trim the video into chunks and post on YouTube through AFSV's channels.
From: King, Kathryn [mailto
Sent: Friday, August 05, 2016 12:27 PM
To: Miller, Michael Katelyn Wohlford
__________________________ Weingarten, Reid
Weinstein, Jason ; Osman Oz.
Erin Billings
Will Bohlen Keough, Michael
Cc: Eliopoulos, Steven ________________________________
Subject: Audio recording
11111111
All,
Remzi Kulen
David Mann
Drake, William
; Y. Alp Aslandogan
I just received a copy of the audio recording with Q&A. The video recording will be available mid-to-late afternoon. As
the 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 or
searcher. 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 by
someone who has the link. It would not be discoverable by anyone who doesn't have the exact URL (searching or
HOUSE OVERSIGHT 031487
browsing). The advantage with this option is the reporters could watch the video via the YouTube player, rather than
downloading a file.
I believe our preference is the second choice?
Thanks,
Kathy
Kathy King
Director, Media & Public Relations
direct fax
Steptoe
Steptoe & Johnson LLP
1330 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036
www.steptoe.com
This 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 the
intended recipient, please do not read, copy, distribute, or use this information. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately by
reply e-mail and then delete this message.
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HOUSE OVERSIGHT 031488