ELLISON CASTS TIE-BREAKING VOTE ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION
Minnesota Independent
ellison-votes-for-armenian-genocide-resolution
Mar ch 8 2010
Rep. Keith Ellison was the tie-breaking vote on a House Foreign Affairs
Committee resolution calling on President Obama to "characterize
the systematic and deliberate annihilation of 1.5 million Armenians
as genocide." The measure was vigorously opposed by Turkey, and
following the vote the country recalled its ambassador to the United
States. Ellison was undecided last week on how he would vote.
The 23 to 22 vote did not split along partisan lines — Democrats and
Republicans supported and opposed the measure. President Obama and
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton unsuccessfully tried to pressure
the committee to delay the vote, citing diplomatic tensions with
Turkey over the issue of genocide.
Turkey is the strongest ally the United States has among Muslim
countries. Ellison, the committee’s only Muslim member, told a Turkish
newspaper recently that he wasn’t sure how he would vote.