INTERNATIONAL NEWS - The Trump administration issued one mightily mixed message Monday.
President Donald Trump congratulated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on a contested referendum that granted him broad new powers and deepened concern about the NATO ally's growing authoritarian ways.
Trump's outreach to Erdogan put him on a very short list of those who praised the results, including Hamas, the Palestinian militant group labeled a terrorist organization by the United States.
Just over a mile away, State Department officials wagged a finger, noting widespread voting irregularities that gave Erdogan his razor-thin victory and warning Turkey to protect all its citizens' rights and freedoms.
Trump's call and the internal administration disconnect raised eyebrows, not least because Turkey has already cast a shadow over the administration.
As a candidate, Trump admitted his family's business interests there create a conflict of interest - and that was before revelations that former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn had been operating as a foreign agent on behalf of Turkish interests while advising Trump.
