The White House on Wednesday denied President Trump apologized to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan for indictments filed against Turkish security personnel for their role in attacking protesters in Washington, D.C., in May.
The denial came after Erdogan claimed Trump had apologized to him for the incident during an official call between the two earlier this month. "I’m very sorry about that," Erdogan said of the incident during an interview with PBS. "Actually, President Trump called me about a week ago about this issue. He said that he was sorry, and he told me that he was going to follow up on this issue when we come to the United States within the framework of an official visit."
Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders disputed Erdogan's account. She told the Washington Post that the issue was discussed on the call but there was "no apology."
Erdogan went on to blame the protesters and members of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) for his security physically beating the peaceful protesters. "The protesters were insulting us, and they were screaming and shouting," Erdogan said. "The police failed to intervene properly. And similar protests were seen around the White House as well when we were inside of the embassy residence. The protesters were very close to my car, to my vehicle."
Erdogan said the MPD were at fault for the incident, and his security personnel were acting to protect him. "These police officers were officers of the state, not the federal government, but they are in charge of maintaining safety around me and security," he told PBS. "They failed to do that. And, of course, that would be the moment when my personal security would come to my aid and make sure that everything was safe and secure around me."
Video of the May 16, 2017, attack tells a different story. It shows Erdogan's security forces broke through a line of MPD officers and began brutally beating protesters. The scene quickly deteriorated as dozens of Turkish security personnel punched and kicked protesters. MPD officers were eventually able to pull the Turkish personnel off of the protesters and regained control of the scene but not before 11 protesters and 1 police officer were injured. Nine of those injured required hospitalization.
#Erdoğan'ın korumaları kavgaya karıştı https://t.co/gsi1iQ68Ye #amerikaninsesi pic.twitter.com/Jv3g5E7AVA
— Amerika'nın Sesi (@VOATurkish) May 17, 2017
In the wake of the attack, 19 people have been indicted by the United States Attorney's Office of the District of Columbia. Fifteen of those indicted are Turkish personnel and remain at large. The other four are civilians and two of them have been arrested by the MPD. They are currently awaiting a legal hearing, which is scheduled for Oct. 10.
All 19 of the defendants were indicted on conspiracy to commit a crime of violence with a bias crime enhancement, a felony that could carry up to 15 years in prison. Sixteen of them were also indicted for assault with a dangerous weapon with a bias enhancement.
Erdogan said he plans to bring up the incident with President Trump when they meet in person. "I’m going to get together with President Trump on Thursday, and I’m going to talk about these developments in a very extensive fashion," he said. "I hope and pray that justice will be served as soon as possible, because I know that the United States is very sensitive in terms of judiciary and in terms of the rule of law and the legal aspects."
Officials with the MPD and U.S. Attorney's Office said there were no updates in the progress of the indictments or arrests, but both agencies are still pursuing the case despite Erdogan's comments. The State Department did not respond to a request for comment.