Intel: Bolton says Trump sought to drop charges against Turkish bank at Erdogan’s behest
President Donald Trump allegedly sought to convince the Justice Department to drop charges against Turkey’s Halkbank at the request of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, The Wall Street Journal reported in an overview of former national security adviser John Bolton’s tell-all book.
President Donald Trump allegedly sought to convince the Justice Department to drop charges against Turkey’s Halkbank at the request of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, The Wall Street Journal reported in an overview of former national security adviser John Bolton’s tell-all book.
The Justice Department has levied a series of charges against Turkey’s state-owned Halkbank for its role in a 2012 Iran sanctions evasion scheme. Bolton claimed that Erdogan, who allegedly used the bank for improper personal dealings, had frequently asked Trump to drop the case against Halkbank official Mehmet Atilla. The former national security adviser said Trump had asked him to call former Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker to get him to drop the case. Bolton says he never followed up on the request.
