Democrats accuse Trump of skirting Congress on Turkey arms deal
by Darryl Coote · UPIJune 24 (UPI) -- Democratic lawmakers accused the Trump administration Wednesday of seeking to push through a multimillion-dollar arms deal with Turkey by bypassing congressional review, the latest executive action critics say usurps the lawmakers' authority.
Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he was informed by the Trump administration late Tuesday that it would bypass congressional review of an arms sale to Turkey worth more than $700 million.
"The State Department did not even attempt to justify its decision," Meeks said in a statement.
"It did not invoke any emergency authority, did not present a written rationale and for months refused to make a good-faith effort to brief me on implications of the sale for the U.S.-Turkey relationship, Turkey's continued possession of the Russian S-400 system and other regional security concerns," he continued.
"It simply informed my office that it would immediately proceed with a formal notification of the sale."
Turkey is a U.S. ally and NATO member with a robust defense industry. However, it's led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, an increasingly authoritarian leader who has maintained ties with Russia and whose government uses the Kremlin's S-400 Triumph missile defense system.
The United States and NATO opposed Turkey's adoption of the S-200 system, and Washington removed Turkey from the F-35 fighter program in 2019 during Trump's first administration.
Meeks called the decision to bypass congressional review "yet another deeply troubling example of this administration's open contempt for Congress' oversight authority.
"There can be no pretense that this was urgent or unavoidable," he said, stating the items will not be delivered to Turkey for years.
"This was a deliberate choice to shut Congress out and to treat legitimate oversight as an inconvenience to be brushed aside."
Trump is scheduled to visit Turkey early next month. During a White House press conference alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Tuesday, he praised Erdogan as "a great friend."
Erdogan is known to be seeking to acquire U.S.-made fighter jets, including the F-35. Asked if he was planning to announce a potential deal when he visits Ankara, Trump replied: "I'm going to probably do something that's going to make him very happy."
It was unclear if jets were part of the arms deal.
UPI has contacted the State Department for comment and to detail the contents of the sale.
Democrats and other critics of President Donald Trump have repeatedly accused his administration of bypassing Congress through executive orders and unilateral decisions, particularly in its use of the military.
The Trump administration has faced staunch criticism from opponents for launching a war against Iran in late February without congressional authorization. Democrats have frequently argued that the Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the power to declare war.
Democrats have also criticized the administration's use of the military to attack suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Pacific and Caribbean without congressional authorization.