Shocking claim from US Senator Murphy: 'Imamoğlu decision was made after phone call with Trump'

US Senator for Connecticut Chris Murphy, who evaluated current issues for Gönül Tol, Director of the Turkey Program at the Washington-based think tank Middle East Institute (MEI), made striking claims.

In his statement, the Democratic senator argued that Trump not only expresses his admiration for Vladimir Putin and his hatred for democratic regimes but also consciously sides with authoritarian regimes.

Murphy claimed that this stance by Trump normalizes authoritarianism and a style of governance enriched by corruption across the world.

The most notable of Murphy's remarks were those regarding Turkey. Commenting on the imprisonment of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, the senator argued the following regarding the process:

"We haven't talked about Turkey yet, but you know, just in the last few weeks, we have seen a major crackdown on the opposition. Turkey is rapidly and completely moving away from democratic norms. It is no coincidence that the decision to imprison the opposition leader was made immediately after a phone call with Donald Trump; it was likely approved and given the green light by Trump."

Chris Murphy also argued that this form of indirect support from Trump for authoritarian regimes not only damages the US's global democratic leadership but also strengthens the hand of oppressive administrations.

WHO IS CHRIS MURPHY?

Born in 1973, American politician Chris Murphy has been representing the state of Connecticut in the US Senate for the Democratic Party since 2013.

Serving actively on the Senate Foreign Relations, Armed Services, and Health committees, Murphy is one of the prominent figures, particularly on the topics of foreign policy and gun control.

News Source: 12punto