Attack on protestors at the Turkish embassy in Washington, D.C
United States
### United States

Immediately following the events, U.S. lawmakers condemned Turkey's actions during the clashes. Republican Senator [John McCain](/wiki/John_McCain "John McCain") called for the expulsion of the Turkish ambassador. Democratic Senator [Claire McCaskill](/wiki/Claire_McCaskill "Claire McCaskill") agreed, saying "They were assaulting these people on US soil. Turkish Ambassador should be kicked out of country." A group of nearly 30 Democratic lawmakers, led by Representative [Carolyn Maloney](/wiki/Carolyn_Maloney "Carolyn Maloney"), wrote a letter to [Secretary of State](/wiki/United_States_Secretary_of_State "United States Secretary of State") [Rex Tillerson](/wiki/Rex_Tillerson "Rex Tillerson") demanding that the Turkish guards be "arrested, prosecuted and jailed." Tillerson said that he was going to wait for the findings from a State Department investigation before taking any action. [Peter Newsham](/wiki/Peter_Newsham "Peter Newsham"), the Chief of the Metropolitan police announced that nine people had to be taken to hospital due to the clashes.

On May 18, [Under Secretary of State](/wiki/Under_Secretary_of_State_for_Political_Affairs "Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs") [Tom Shannon](/wiki/Thomas_A._Shannon_Jr. "Thomas A. Shannon Jr.") summoned Turkish Ambassador [Serdar Kılıç](/wiki/Serdar_K%C4%B1l%C4%B1%C3%A7 "Serdar Kılıç") after the events.

#### Washington, D.C.

D.C. Mayor [Muriel Bowser](/wiki/Muriel_Bowser "Muriel Bowser") called the clashes a "violent attack on a peaceful demonstration," and said it "is an affront to DC values and our rights as Americans."

On May 17, the D.C. Police Department announced that two individuals had been arrested in connection with the clashes, and stated "The actions seen outside the Turkish Embassy yesterday in Washington, D.C. stand in contrast to the [First Amendment](/wiki/First_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution "First Amendment to the United States Constitution") rights and principles we work tirelessly to protect each and every day." The department announced further cooperation with the [United States State Department](/wiki/United_States_State_Department "United States State Department") and [United States Secret Service](/wiki/United_States_Secret_Service "United States Secret Service") "to identify and hold all subjects accountable for their involvement in the altercation."


Why did Turkey's actions provoke such a strong response from U.S. lawmakers?