Congress Warns Rubio Over Barrack’s F-35 Turkey Comments
Members of Congress are pushing back hard against US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, demanding Secretary of State Marco Rubio explain whether Barrack's recent remarks on Turkey and the F-35 program represent official US policy.
A letter circulating in the House for signatures is expected to be sent directly to Rubio. Lawmakers argue that Barrack's comments suggesting a possible pathway for Turkey to rejoin the F-35 fighter jet program undermine longstanding US diplomacy at a critical moment for regional security.
Under US law, Turkey would first need to remove its Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems, commit to not acquiring similar Russian weapons in the future, and prove it has not accepted additional Russian defense systems. Lawmakers say Turkey has met none of these conditions.
The letter also asks the State Department to clarify how it interprets CAATSA, the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, in the context of any potential shift in defense cooperation with Ankara.
Beyond the F-35 issue, Congress is also challenging Barrack over remarks he made last month at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey. There, he described the Lebanon ceasefire as "extremely fragile" and said all parties involved had shown equally unreliable behavior. He also called for a diplomatic path with Hezbollah, saying the goal was "not killing Hezbollah."
Lawmakers are asking whether the State Department agrees that drawing any equivalence between Israel and Hezbollah contradicts US policy, particularly given Hezbollah's history of attacks that have killed American citizens and US service members.
The letter additionally asks how the State Department is ensuring that diplomatic engagement with Turkey aligns with US law, NATO security requirements, and broader regional stability goals. No response from Rubio or the State Department has been reported yet.
