President Trump points to a family member as he makes cards for members of the military at a craft table during the 139th Easter Egg Roll at the White House on Monday. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)The White House on Tuesday defended a controversial congratulatory call by President Trump to Turkish President ­Recep Tayyip Erdogan after a referendum that greatly expanded the latter's powers, despite widespread concerns about the fairness of the vote. “Look, the Middle East is a pretty rough neighborhood, and sometimes you have to get together to help them beat the bullies, like Syria,” Sanders said. “Turkey’s creeping authoritarianism continues,” House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Edward R. Royce (R-Calif.) said in a statement early Tuesday. Trump thanked Erdogan for Turkey’s support of the retaliatory action.

Source: Washington Post April 18, 2017 20:16 UTC