Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney introduced legislation sanctioning Turkish government officials and blocking arms transfers to Turkey.
The sanctions legislation comes a week after President Trump announced U.S. forces would leave northern Syria, opening the door to a Turkish invasion in the following days. Cheney’s bill targets Turkey’s highest government officials with a prohibition on property transactions and visa restrictions.
The bill, the Countering Turkish Aggression Act of 2019, lists Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, vice president, other senior officials, and foreign persons knowingly conducting transactions with the Turkish armed forces as subject to sanctions, according to a copy of the bill obtained by the Washington Examiner.
These officials will face “the blocking and prohibiting … of all transactions in property and interests in property” if the property and interests are in the United States or come within the U.S. Furthermore, these officials are prohibited from receiving a visa or entering the U.S.
The bill also restricts arms sales to Turkey, stating that “no funds may be obligated or expended to sell or transfer any United States defense articles, services, technology, or materials or ammunition to the Turkish Armed Forces.”
The bill comes after Cheney criticized the president for his decision to withdraw from northern Syria, saying last week that the decision “is having sickening and predictable consequences.” Prior to releasing the legislation on Wednesday, Cheney warned that America’s withdrawal and Turkey’s invasion risked “the resurgence of ISIS.” She also said the Kurds, an ethnic minority in Syria that has helped U.S. troops fight the Islamic State, “are facing what looks like a betrayal from the United States.”
Turkey’s offensive has displaced over 150,000 individuals, and armed groups affiliated with Turkey have reportedly committed war crimes. ISIS prisoners have also been escaping camps in northern Syria.
Trump warned Turkey last week he would “totally destroy and obliterate” its economy if it did anything “off limits” in Syria. On Wednesday, however, the president said fighting between Turkey and the Kurds has “nothing to do with us” and said the Kurds are “not angels.”
