The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) revealed that the Turkish Government has hired former Bush Administration official, Noam Neusner, to harness Jewish American support for a pro-Turkey agenda in Congress, with defeat of the Armenian Genocide Resolution as his top priority, ANCA Communications Director Elizabeth Chouljian told PanARMENIAN.Net.
“If Turkey had a credible case to make to the Jewish American community – which has grown weary of Ankara’s pressure to deny the Armenian Genocide – it wouldn’t need to be spending this kind of money in a misguided attempt to manipulate Jewish American opinion,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “Sadly, it seems that for $8,500 a month from a foreign government, Neusner Communications is putting at risk the well-deserved reputation of the Jewish American community as a powerful opponent of all genocides and a defender of universal human rights.”
This revelation came as part of a September 30, 2008, mandatory U.S. Department of Justice (U.S. DOJ) Foreign Agent Registration Act filings by Neusner Communications, LLC, a Washington, DC public relations firm that has been on the Turkish Government payroll since September, 2007. The initial registration document submitted by the firm cites “policy goals” including “U.S. Jewish efforts to promote a pro-Turkey agenda in the U.S. Congress.” Neusner
Communications LLC is tasked to ensure “regular emails and phone calls to Jewish leaders highlighting Turkey’s relationship with Israel” and facilitating the “creation of working relationships between U.S.-based Jewish and Turkish community groups.”
Neusner Communications, Inc. is one of four public relations firms currently representing the Government of Turkey, including DLA Piper, Fleishman Hilliard, and the Gephardt Group, who together receive over $3 million a year for their services. Neusner Communications is currently paid $8,500 a month by the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey. Leading the campaign to clean up Turkey’s image in the United States are former House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt and House Majority Leader Dick Armey. Former House Appropriations Committee Chairman Bob Livingston ended his eight-year, $13 million lobbying stint with Turkey earlier this year, after which he picked up a lucrative $2.4 million contract with Lybia.
