Vice President Joe Biden is in Turkey today meeting with the country’s leadership, starting with a tour of the Turkish Parliament building that was damaged by airstrikes during last month’s failed coup attempt.
Turkish Speaker of Parliament Ismail Kahraman gave Biden the tour, surveying damage to the building’s exterior that, at parts, included the very foundation.
“This is devastating. Can you imagine if this happened at home?” Biden said to reporters. “Can you imagine what the American public would be saying or doing?"
He compared the damage to what might have happened on 9/11 if United Airlines Flight 93 had made it to the U.S. Capitol instead of crashing in Pennsylvania, saying, "imagine what that would have meant, the psychological impact on the American people."
Biden’s visit comes amid increased tensions with the United States, as the Turkish leaders continue to call for the extradition of U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom they blame for inspiring the attempted coup.
A senior U.S. administration official had previewed Biden's visit, saying the Turks have submitted four separate extradition requests for Gulen but that none are related to his direct involvement in inspiring the coup.
Still, the Department of Justice has more lawyers handling the requests than any recent extradition case, according to the official.
Biden will hold a news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim later today before meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
ABC News
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