The running dog of the Gülenist cult: Michael Rubin

We will learn more about Michael Rubin after the Turkish prosecutor's investigation of his and 16 other U.S. nationals' involvement in the July 15 coup attempt. Right now, this lapdog of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) is intensifying his attacks targeting Turkey.

In his recent contribution to Commentary magazine, he claimed that Turkey supports the Daesh terrorist organization. He insults the memories of our sons who fell (and continue to fall) in the war against Daesh. All the evidence he has to support his outrageous claim that "Turkey appears to back" Daesh is "visitors to Istanbul airport say they can overhear travelers openly talking about" Turkey's support to the Daesh terrorists. Also he mentions some Wikipedia entries about the financial links between Turkey's leadership and Daesh. Another piece of strong evidence he has is a report from the Guardian, based on an Italian intelligence document that states, "Since 15 December 2015, an unknown number of wounded fighters of the Islamic State [Daesh] in Libya have been transported out of the country to an Istanbul hospital to undergo medical treatment."

Can you see the vicious circle? Somebody writes a newspaper article based on an un-sourced "Italian intelligence document." (Has anybody asked the Italian government about it? Of course not.) The fuzzier the source, the better for Michael Rubin. When the Guardian quotes this imprecise source, it becomes legitimate for those of Rubin's ilk. In turn, Rubin's article becomes a source for other Neo-con outlets.

Rubin has spent his life writing against hijackers of Islam, like Iranian mullahs and Fetullah Gülen, who try to overthrow democracies using the freedoms it provides. That was the case until recently. A couple of years ago, Rubin completed so hard an about-face that he became Gülen's apologist-at-large. He offered excuses for the July 15 coup, which took the lives of 249 people and maimed thousands. Now in this baseless and totally false article he goes one step further and asks the U.S. government to "dispense with diplomatic niceties" and declare Turkey "a state sponsor of terror" on the eve of President Erdoğan's visit to Washington, D.C.

The chief public prosecutor in Istanbul started an investigation after Turkish attorneys filed a criminal complaint against 17 individuals, including U.S. politicians, bureaucrats and academics. Michael Rubin is one of them. Among the U.S. officials implicated in the case are former CIA Director John O. Brennan, New York Senator Chuck Schumer and former CIA station chief in Ankara Graham E. Fuller. According to the filed complaint, some of these people held meetings in Istanbul on July 15 and July 17 before and after the coup.

Since this investigation, the tone of Rubin's articles has changed, and instead of the ruling party and President Erdoğan, he is barking directly at the Republic. He deserves more than a shooing now. But first let us wait and see the degree of his involvement in this bloody affair.