A headline in the Turkish Hurriyet daily screamed: “Pro-Armenian Lawmaker says US Congress Will Not Recognize Bill” for a news item attributing commen’s allegedly made by Rep. Mark Kirk, the Illinois Republican who co-chairs the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues and a co-author of H.Res. 252–the Armenian Genocide resolution.
"Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi will not dare pass the bill. She will not place Obama in a difficult position. The bill will not pass, don’t worry," Rep. Kirk was quoted as telling the Turkish language Aksam Daily.
“When I was translated from Turkish to English my commen’s had little relation,” explained Rep. Kirk, in a phone conversation with Asbarez.
“I made the mistake of predicting what Speaker Pelosi may or may not do in the future,” explained Rep. Kirk given President Obama’s upcoming trip to Turkey.
Kirk explained that his intention was to shed light on the importance of the Genocide Resolution, adding that his commen’s were misrepresented by the Turkish press
Kirk explained that he had supported Genocide resolutions in the past and is the co-author of the current one introduced last month.
“I think if we put it [the resolution] on the floor, a number of members would back us. I’m just worried that the State Department will pressure the Congress, as they have done in the past,” Kirk told Asbarez, urging Speaker Pelosi to resists the pressure.
“Speaker Pelosi should bring up the resolution and pass it,” added Kirk, saying that everyone should stick to their campaign promises and vote on what they told their constituents.
Kirk said he believes if the Genocide bill were brought to a vote, it would be “Tremendous victory.”
Notorious for its long history of muckraking, the Turkish press has a reputation for altering the truth and changing words to suit their needs. Rep. Kirk was the latest victim of this brand of yellow journalism.