The United States is prepared to take more action against the Turkish government if it does not move to release a detained American pastor, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Thursday.
At a cabinet meeting at the White House, Mnuchin noted recent sanctions imposed on members of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s administration over its refusal to release Pastor Andrew Brunson and added that “we have more that we’re planning to do if they don’t release him quickly,” according to a pool report.
Mnuchin did not elaborate.
Turkish authorities arrested the 50-year-old pastor in 2016 on charges of espionage and aiding a terrorist organization, but the Trump administration has maintained his innocence and demanded his release.
U.S. President Donald Trump during the meeting said Brunson is a “very innocent man.”
Earlier this month, the Treasury Department sanctioned Turkey’s minister of justice and minister of interior over their alleged roles in the detention, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met briefly in recent weeks with his Turkish counterpart to press for Brunson’s release. On Wednesday, a Turkish appeals court denied Brunson’s petition for appeal.
Brunson’s detainment comes in the midst of a financial crisis in Turkey and as officials in Ankara are engaged in a standoff over trade issues with Washington.