Perry Gets Pushback for Comment About Turkey’s Leaders
Rick Perry stirred up controversy on the campaign trail again. Photo by Ben Philpott/KUT NewsSomething Gov. Rick Perry said during last night’s Republican presidential debate is reverberating halfway around the world.
Perry said the nation of Turkey is perceived as being run by “Islamic terrorists.”
The country’s foreign ministry condemned the statement today, calling it “baseless”.
Jeanette Okur, who teaches Turkish studies at the University of Texas at Austin, says you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who agrees with Perry’s assessment of Turkey’s ruling party.
“The status of the Justice and Development Party is debated both in Turkey and internationally, but most political analyses call it a center-right, mildly Islamist party,” Okur said. “Definitely not a terrorist party. It has no background of violent activity. That’s just sadly inaccurate.”
A new poll out today from Monmouth University has Perry with 6 percent support among likely Republican voters in South Carolina. That state holds its primary on Saturday.
