Turkish Lawyer Sues U.S. Officials Over Thwarted Coup

A lawyer in Turkey has filed a criminal complaint against three top U.S. officials, claiming they conspired with those who staged an unsuccessful coup on July 15. The suit names Marine Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Gen. Joseph Votel, the top U.S. commander in the Middle East; and Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. Local media in Turkey has identified Mert Yilmaz as the lawyer behind the suit. Yilmaz provides as evidence the fact that the White House delayed condemnation of the coup attempt, as well as the presence of pro-coup commentary on U.S. television outlets. The Turkish government has pinned the coup on Fethullah Gulen, an imam living in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania.