Show Notes
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Turkeyâs ruling party has spent $6.2 million establishing a permanent presence in Washingtonârun by President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄanâs cousin. Its representatives have gained access to senior American officials, journalists, activists, and media figures, but its government filings reveal almost nothing about what was discussed.
In this episode of EylON the Record, Eylon Levy speaks with OSINT investigator Eitan Fischberger about the AKPâs Washington headquarters, the extraordinary range of figures its representative Halil Mutlu has met, and what Turkey may be seeking from its expanding influence operation. As Ankaraâs ambitions increasingly clash with the interests of Israel and the United States, the question is not whether Turkey is trying to shape American policy and public opinionâbut how, and toward what end.
In this episode, we discuss:
- How ErdoÄanâs cousin became the AKPâs representative in Washington and gained access to senior members of Congress, government committees, journalists, and podcasters - The reported meetings with Mehdi Hasan, CAIR, Code Pink, John Kiriakou, and Tucker Carlsonâs business partner - Why FARA filings can disclose who foreign agents meet while revealing almost nothing about what they are trying to accomplish - Turkeyâs efforts to regain access to the F-35 program, weaken support for Israel and the Kurds, rehabilitate ErdoÄanâs image, and establish itself as the Middle Eastâs dominant regional power
This is about more than lobbying. Turkey remains a NATO member while maintaining close relations with Russia, supporting Hamas, confronting Israel, and pursuing an increasingly assertive regional agenda. If Ankara can shape how Americans understand the Middle East while concealing the purpose of its political outreach, it can advance that agenda with far less scrutiny.
đŻ Key moment: âIf everyone is focusing on Israel, then nobodyâs focusing on Turkey. And then Turkey can continue to do what itâs doing.â
Support the show ABOUT THE SHOW EylON the Record is a podcast about Israel, the global information war, and the battle between democratic societies and authoritarian or extremist movements â told through in-depth conversations with people shaping events on the front lines. Stay up to date at: X: https://x.com/eylontherecord Instagram: https://instagram.com/eylontherecord
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