Trump Pressured Sec of State to Help Alleged Member of International Criminal Organization, Giuliani Client

Rex Tillerson shaking hands with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan 

In 2017, President Trump pressured then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to help Reza Zarrab, a man arrested by the United States for evading US economic sanctions on Iran and money laundering. This scheme allegedly included the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Zarrab is also a client of Mr. Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani.

The Department of Justice had charged Mr. Zarrab and Mr. Trump, in turn, tried to convince Secretary Tillerson to help him get the DOJ to drop the charges.

Tillerson refused, saying it would be interference and obstruction of a criminal prosecution, and then repeated his objections to then-Chief of Staff John Kelly.

In court in November of 2017, Zarrab specifically implicated the President of Turkey in the scheme. Two days ago, President Trump pulled US support for Kurds in northern Syria, prompting an invasion into the region by Erdoğan's Turkey.