Barrack told Fox News Digital his comments fully support Trump’s ‘peace through strength’ foreign policy approach.

U.S. Ambassador Tom Barrack is pushing back after backlash over remarks seen as equating Israel with Hezbollah, insisting his comments reflect “realism” and not a change in U.S. policy.

Barrack appeared to equate America’s closest ally in the Middle East with a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, suggested Turkey should soon regain access to the F-35 program despite its purchase of Russia’s S-400 system, and argued that only “powerful leadership regimes” have succeeded in the region.

In exclusive written answers to Fox News Digital’s questions, Barrack rejected accusations that he was softening the administration’s stance toward Hezbollah or Iran, and argued that President Donald Trump’s “peace through strength” approach requires a more pragmatic reading of the Middle East.

Fox News Digital: During your remarks at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum Friday, you described the Israel–Hezbollah ceasefire as a “time out” and said that “everybody has been equally untrustworthy.” How do you reconcile that characterization with the U.S. designation of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization? 

Does your statement that the goal is “not killing Hezbollah” reflect any shift from the previous “maximum pressure” approach toward a strategy of containment or political inclusion?

U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack: Let me be very clear about my remarks at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on April 17.

When I described the Israel–Hezbollah ceasefire as a ‘time out’ and said that ‘everybody has been equally untrustworthy,’ I was simply stating the obvious reality on the ground. This is realism, not criticism of any side. 

The November 2024 ceasefire and the recent April 2026 ceasefire have repeatedly proven fragile because all parties — Israel, Hezbollah and their backers — have tested the limits in the past. Historical patterns of violations, rearmament and proxy escalation confirm that mutual mistrust is the core challenge.

That mutual mistrust is exactly why this administration brokered the ceasefire in the first place: to stop the senseless killing, create breathing room and build a monitored, enforceable path forward that strengthens Lebanese sovereignty and Israeli security.

This characterization in no way softens our ironclad position: Hezbollah is a designated terrorist organization responsible for the deaths of Americans and countless acts of destabilization. 

We have never trusted them. We acknowledge that within Lebanon itself, the Hezbollah political party is differentiated from Hezbollah the terrorist group, which holds parliamentary seats within the Lebanese government. Political trust in that regard will have to be earned.

My point was straightforward: durable peace requires confronting that mistrust head-on, not pretending it does not exist. This approach fully supports President Trump’s policy of maximum pressure on Iran and its proxies while delivering real results: positioning us to degrade Hezbollah’s terrorist capabilities through a combination of enforcement, Lebanese state authority and the renewal of an economy that can provide a new era of hope to Lebanese communities in both the north and south.

On the goal not being ‘killing Hezbollah,’ I stand by every word. After decades in the region, you cannot eliminate an embedded militia solely by kinetic means when a sovereign state like Iran continues to arm and fund it. Pure ‘mowing the lawn’ has never worked. To the contrary, it often fuels recruitment and prolongs conflict.

Our objective has always been to degrade Hezbollah’s terrorist infrastructure to the point where diplomacy and a sovereign Lebanese government can take over under Lebanon’s confessional system, reflecting Christian, Sunni and Shiite interests. This is not a shift toward containment or political inclusion of a terrorist group. It is the same ‘maximum pressure plus smart diplomacy’ playbook this administration has used successfully against ISIS and other threats.

We continue to back Israel’s right to defend itself decisively, as Secretary Rubio explicitly affirmed in the current ceasefire terms, while also pushing for an end to the idiocy of endless war. Stopping the bleeding first, then enforcing the win. That is exactly what President Trump and Secretary Rubio achieved with this ceasefire.

No policy changes whatsoever. Just clear, effective execution.

Fox News Digital: You described the dispute over Turkey’s participation in the F-35 program as “insane” and suggested the Russian S-400 issue could be resolved within months.

What specific safeguards regarding possession and operability are under consideration to satisfy Section 1245 of the National Defense Authorization Act and address concerns that the Russian S-400 system could compromise sensitive F-35 technology? How do you respond to members of Congress who have threatened to oppose F-16 upgrades or any future F-35 transfer to Turkey until your comments regarding Hezbollah and Israel are clarified?

(For example, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., who responded directly to Barrack’s April 2026 remarks by saying Turkey would not receive either F-35s or F-16s. Scott wrote that Turkey “funds Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, hates Israel, and loves Russia and Iran,” adding: “Good luck buying F-35s, F-16s, and other American-made defense platforms.)

Barrack: Calling the prolonged impasse “insane” is blunt common sense. It highlights exactly why the administration is right to pursue a resolution: NATO unity against Russia and China is a core U.S. national security interest.

Turkey remains a vital ally, hosting critical U.S. assets, contributing to NATO missions and countering shared threats. Sanctions and exclusion from the F-35 program, triggered by the S-400 purchase, have strained ties unnecessarily while Russia benefits from the wedge.

The S-400 issue can and should be resolved within months through surgical diplomacy from Secretary Rubio, grounded in the strong personal relationship between President Trump and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Let me be explicit: any resolution will fully satisfy Section 1245 of the NDAA. That means verifiable cessation of possession and operability of the Russian S-400 system, with formal certifications from the secretaries of Defense and State confirming there is no risk of compromise to sensitive F-35 technology.

There will be no shortcuts on American security standards. What I am signaling is that real breakthroughs are imminent: restoring Turkey’s role in the F-35 ecosystem, strengthening NATO interoperability, boosting U.S. industry and denying Russia leverage.

This is classic Trump deal-making: enforce the law, protect our technology and rebuild alliances that advance American strength.

In every one of these statements, I am speaking directly in support of this administration’s foreign policy. We believe in peace through strength, candid assessment of realities and delivering results that protect U.S. interests without dragging America into endless conflicts.

These comments reflect that approach: maximum leverage against terrorists, pragmatic engagement with key partners like Turkey and a clear-eyed path to greater stability in a volatile region.”

Another point of contention was Barrack’s repeated argument that strong centralized rule, rather than Western-style democracy, has been the most successful model in the Middle East. Reiterating comments he had made previously, Barrack said at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on April 17: “The only thing that’s worked, the only thing, are these powerful leadership regimes: either benevolent monarchies, the kind of monarchical republic.

Turkey was removed from the American F-35 program in 2019 after purchasing Russia’s S-400 air defense system, which U.S. officials warned could allow Moscow to gather intelligence on the stealth fighter. 

Under Section 1245 of the National Defense Authorization Act, Turkey cannot rejoin the program unless the president certifies to Congress that Ankara no longer possesses or operates the S-400 and that the system poses no risk to the F-35.

Fox News Digital: You said that “powerful leadership regimes” are the only structures that have worked in the Middle East. 

Does that statement reflect a broader shift away from longstanding U.S. support for democratic governance and human rights in the region?

Barrack: When I said that ‘powerful leadership regimes,’ whether benevolent monarchies or the kind of monarchical republics seen elsewhere in the region, are the only structures that have actually worked in the Middle East, I was speaking from decades of hard-earned observation, not ideology.

Look at the track record. Countries that tried to adopt Western-style democracy quickly after the Arab Spring largely failed, often descending into chaos, civil war or new forms of authoritarianism.

Meanwhile, stable, results-oriented leadership in places like the Gulf monarchies has delivered security, economic growth, modernization and real improvements in people’s lives.

Israel, which one can rightly point to as a vibrant democracy in the region, stands as a notable outlier that has thrived under extremely strong, bold leadership capable of delivering security and prosperity under extraordinary challenges, even as some critics describe it as a “flawed democracy.”

Turkey, operating as a presidential republic with regular multiparty elections, also demonstrates how strong, centralized leadership under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has delivered stability, economic dynamism and assertive regional influence, though critics have described it as a hybrid regime with strong authoritarian tendencies.

This is not a change in U.S. policy away from supporting democratic governance and human rights. It is a realistic assessment of what produces stability so that human rights and prosperity can take root.

President Trump’s approach has always been peace through strength: deal with the world as it is, not as we wish it to be. We support effective governance that prevents chaos, counters terrorism and creates conditions for long-term progress.

That includes backing strong, accountable leaders who deliver for their people, whether in monarchies that have modernized successfully or in evolving systems that prioritize security and opportunity over imported models that have repeatedly collapsed.

By – https://www.foxnews.com/world/trump-envoy-turkey-doubles-down-after-backlash-pushes-peace-through-strength-policy

U.S. Congressman Cory Mills (R-FL) told President Donald Trump that there was no restraining order filed against him in order to secure his endorsement. Information has come out showing that Rep. Mills, as a matter of xz fact, lied to President Trump in a desperate attempt to save his own hide.

In a decision made in the 3rd District Court of Florida, an injunction for protection against dating violence was filed on behalf of former Miss USA Lindsey Langston against Mills. The injunction was approved by Judge Fred Koberlein Jr. and remained in effect until Jan. 1 of this year preventing Mills from committing any acts of domestic violence and stopping him from being within 500 feet of his victim or contacting her online.

The case centered on Mills and Langston whose relationship reportedly lasted about a year before deteriorating in 2025. In court filings, Langston accused Mills of threatening to release explicit revenge porn material of her in an attempt to coerce her silence over alleged abuse, providing screenshots of text messages that indicated as such. Langston accused Mills of controlling and intimidating behavior as well as repeated unwanted contact after the relationship faltered. The court found sufficient evidence of the credible threat or fear for Langston’s safety and granted her the temporary restraining order against Mills.

This is far from an isolated incident for Mills, who has been dogged by a variety of depraved and reprehensible scandals that are almost too bizarre to be believed. The sheer incredulousness of his offenses seem to be how Mills hopes to survive despite a resume of skullduggery that puts him among the most loathsome reprobates ever to serve in the People’s House.

In the most recently publicized incident caught on video from Feb. 2025, Iranian-American activist Sarah Raviani, another girlfriend of Mills, called law enforcement at 4:30 am in Washington D.C. to report an assault. Raviani told officer Richard Mazloom that Mills had become “very abusive” during an altercation and grabbed her, shoved her and then forced her out of his apartment. Officers saw Raviani with bruises on her arms and marks near her face that were consistent with a physical altercation. Raviani, crying while recounting her story, said she wanted the instance documented so it “doesn’t happen to anyone else.”

At this point, Officer Mazloom believed there was probable cause for arrest. While still with the police, Raviani received a phone call. After getting on the phone, Raviani quickly changed her story with officers believing she did so after being coerced by Mills. She told officers that “he wants me to say” and the injuries came from a vacation because she “bruises easily.” Later, Raviani claimed that both she and Mills were physical during the altercation yet stating contradictorily that she did not quite remember what happened, and the testimony she gave previously was issued “under duress.”

Officer Mazloom was not convinced by Raviani’s story and wished to arrest Mills, as the injuries and initial statement met the legal criteria for an arrest. Mills was warned that he could be placed in handcuffs and that they were legally obliged to arrest him as they prepared to transport the Congressman to be formally charged. Mills expressed concern that the situation could be “weaponized” against him politically, fearing he could be held accountable for his violent, degenerate behavior. This is when a supervising lieutenant intervened, classifying the incident as a “family disturbance” to help Mills evade justice. The Metropolitan Police Department formally requested an arrest warrant for Mills the next day, but the prosecutor refused to sign it, and no warrant was ever issued for Mills’ arrest.

In addition to the serially abusive behavior, Mills has been subject to an inquiry from the U.S. House Ethics Committee in 2025. This is not your typical deep state witch hunt but rather, a legitimate investigation into Mills’ unethical business endeavors. Mills is accused of improperly benefiting financially from serving in Congress, failing to disclose key financial information and maintaining conflicts of interest tied to government contracts.

Before entering Congress, Mills founded and led Pacem Defense, a supplier of defense and security equipment such as munitions and protective gear. His firm has frequently done business with U.S. government agencies and foreign governments. After Mills entered Congress, reports have indicated that companies connected to him continued to receive federal contracts estimated to be worth millions of dollars.

Members of Congress are not outright banned from owning businesses but it is illegal to derive direct financial benefit from federal contracts. These are situations that create a conflict between public duty and private gain. Mills’ activity potentially puts him in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 431–432 as well as House rules. Investigators are examining whether Mills divested properly or if he still obtained indirect financial benefits from these contracts while serving in Congress.

Congressmen are expected to either fully divest or place assets in arrangements that prevent influence such as a blind trust. There is also concern that Mills may have delayed or resisted providing documents to the Ethics Committee, which may be worthy of separate disciplinary actions. Mills is also suspected of various campaign finance irregularities with serious questions as to how funds were raised or spent. The connections between Mills’ campaign activity and business interests remain opaque as Mills has been as squirrelly as possible throughout the proceedings.

Mills swept into Congress largely based on his alleged history as a war hero. Mills did in fact serve in the U.S. Army from 1999 to 2003 and received a Bronze Star Medal. But his fellow veterans attest that the stories that Mills tells about his service have been largely exaggerated or are outright falsehoods. Mills claims that he helped evacuate wounded soldiers while under enemy fire at great risk to his own life, but his hero story does not stand up to scrutiny.

A 2025 investigative report found that five soldiers who served with him do not remember Mills being present for the incidents he described. One soldier, Joe Heit, who Mills has been credited with saving, said frankly: “He didn’t save my life.” Mills received the bronze star in 2021, many years after his service based on the unverified narrative that he advanced. It appears that while Mills did serve honorably for four years, much of his heroism was part of a stolen valor ploy concocted for the purposes of political and professional advancement.

In perhaps the most jaw-dropping instance of vile Mills’ lore, reports have indicated that he is a secret Muslim. Mills and his former wife Rana Al Saadi, a naturalized American citizen from Iraq were married in the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center of Falls Church, Virginia, which has been reported to be the most extremist Mosque in America. The officiant for the wedding was none other than Imam Mohammed Al-Hanooti. Al-Hanooti was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in both the 2008 Holy Land Foundation Hamas financing trial and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing plot. In his sermons, Al-Hanooti has encouraged Muslims to be “ready for the jihad with our properties and our souls,” promised that “Allah will rain his curse on the Americans and the British,” and pledged that “the curse of Allah will become true on the Jews.”

Additionally, five of Mills’ former colleagues have attested that Mills confirmed to each of them personally that he is a practicing Muslim. Max Woodside, CEO at Paladin LLC, stated on the record that over a decade ago, Mills requested he “take care” of a personal enemy in the Middle East over problems with his wife. After Woodside opted not to oblige Mills’ deluded revenge fantasies, he made a comment that Mills’ relationship with Al Saadi would always be problematic because Mills is a Christian and Al Saadi is a Muslim. Mills allegedly corrected Woodside and told him that he had in fact converted to Islam. This caused Woodside to sever ties with Mills completely.

Mills also came to the rescue of Rep. Ilhan Omar, the Somali-born Islamist from Minnesota, when a censure resolution attempted to hold her accountable over despicable comments she made about the assassination of Charlie Kirk. The resolution, which would have stripped Omar of her committee assignments, was killed by a narrow 214-213 vote in which Mills was the deciding factor. Mills claimed that his objection was based on free speech concerns, but Democrats dropped their efforts to censure him shortly after—suggesting the existence of a quid pro quo that was hatched behind closed doors. Mills being able to assist his sister in Islam was probably just the icing on the cake.

Mills’ shamelessness has, against the odds, kept him in Congress up to this point, but the sword of Damocles still swings just above his head and is about ready to drop. Mills’ blatant lie to President Trump will be his undoing as that is one man as a Republican you do not cross. Mills’ record could easily cost Republicans a winnable seat in Florida due to this lout’s uniquely heinous pattern of behavior. Mills is a psychopath who needs to be ejected from Congress and then put behind bars before he devastates more innocent lives in his path of destruction.

Gabbard released documents last week exposing the first Trump impeachment proceedings to be a complete and utter fraud.

Another recent success from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has reignited efforts to oust her from the Trump administration in an effort led by deep state hacks who are playing beat the clock in an attempt to avoid prosecution for their capital crimes.

Gabbard released documents last week exposing the first Trump impeachment proceedings to be a complete and utter fraud. The documents showed that former Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson refused to follow procedure as he investigated communications between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — relying only on fabricated second-hand testimony to build the case for President Trump’s impropriety during what was in actuality a benign call.

“Deep state actors within the Intelligence Community concocted a false narrative that was used by Congress to usurp the will of the American people and impeach the duly-elected President of the United States,” Gabbard said. “Inspector General Atkinson failed to uphold his responsibility to the American people, putting political motivations over the truth. And this, along with the politicization of the whistleblower process by a former CIA employee who was working hand in glove with Democrats in Congress, are egregious examples of the deep state playbook on how to weaponize the Intelligence Community. Exposing these tactics and showing how they undermine the fabric of our democratic republic furthers the critical cause of transparency and accountability and will help prevent future abuse of power.”

While this is not news to those of us who have been following these developments since the outset, for the general public who may not be as well-informed, these disclosures are massive. They provide concrete, irrefutable proof of a conspiracy against President Trump coming from the highest levels of government. These are the types of efforts that are necessary to build credibility to get the public behind prosecutions against Biden and Obama-era officials so they will be able to stick. So why is Gabbard under the gun when she is leading the charge on such a monumental task to secure President Trump’s legacy?

Gabbard is under fire precisely because she is the most dedicated opponent of the deep state within the Trump administration. This is not the first time that she has been on the receiving end of a dishonest smear campaign meant to impugn her character and mute her influence. In Sept. 2025, Gabbard was blamed by the New York Times and Axios for no criminal charges being filed against CIA Director John Brennan because Gabbard wisely removed security clearances for disgraced deep state hacks – an absurd notion that is laughable on its face. RINO U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas is also leading a disgraceful effort to strip the DNI of its authority, giving unrestrained power to CIA and NSA bureaucrats free of Gabbard’s oversight.

Previously, Gabbard exposed sensitive documents that were previously kept under wraps by former National Intelligence Directors, including current CIA Director John Ratcliffe, showing that the genesis of Russia-gate went straight to the top, with former President Barack Hussein Obama having intimate knowledge of the conspiracy, and officials such as Brennan, Comey, former NSA Director James Clapper and others having knowingly pushed faulty intelligence.

The documents declassified by the DNI’s office showed that the faulty intelligence community (IC) assessment framing President Trump as a Russian asset was ordered during a Dec. 2016 meeting of the National Security Council at the direct request of President Obama. The effort was waged despite the IC’s determination that Russia was “probably not trying … to influence the election by using cyber means” and after post-election talking points were developed for DNI James Clapper stating that “foreign adversaries did not use cyberattacks on election infrastructure to alter the US Presidential election outcome.”

Gabbard has worked doggedly to put on the spotlight on the deep state actors and Democrat operatives who plotted Russia-gate as well as election fraud in 2020 where she appeared in person to oversee a raid of election documents at the infamous fraud center of Fulton County, Georgia. Gabbard has released all of the information needed to secure convictions against a host of high-level criminals. It is the officials in the DOJ who are slowrolling prosecutions. Those are the ones who should be pressured to act. Incomprehensibly, it is Gabbard who is under the gun.

The War Party has always it out for Gabbard. Once somewhat-laudable, now utterly-contemptible propaganda artist Laura Loomer—off her schizo meds and working in an official or unofficial capacity for the Netanyahu government—has waged a relentless campaign against Gabbard because of Gabbard’s noted skepticism against endless foreign wars. Gabbard has given no indication she does not support President Trump’s aggressive foreign policy agenda as Trump has made it clear, time and again, he does not plan on entrenched Middle Eastern conflicts. If anyone is trying to subvert President Trump’s foreign policy agenda, it is disingenuous neocons like Loomer who desperately agitate for the Iran conflict to become another forever war at Israel’s behest.

A particularly absurd op/ed was published in American Thinker titled, “It’s Time To Replace DNI Tulsi Gabbard.” The article was penned by Robert F. Turner, a career national security bureaucrat and Conservative Inc. thinktank stooge. It states that Gabbard deserves to be ousted from the Trump administration because she is not a career intelligence operative, used to be a Democrat, met with former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for peace talks and showed inadequate support for Zelensky’s corrupt Ukrainian regime. Turner also irresponsibly speculated without a shred of evidence about Gabbard’s willingness to leak sensitive intelligence with America’s enemies.

Gabbard served her country diligently in the Hawaii Army National Guard. She served as a specialist with the Medical Company, 29th Support Battalion during a 12-month tour in Iraq—receiving a Combat Medical Badge, the Meritorious Service Medal from the United States and the German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency for her heroic service. The notion that Gabbard would sell America out to the enemy because she does not adhere to the failed foreign policy orthodoxy is an insult not just to Gabbard but to all of America’s veterans.

The fact that Gabbard is not a toady for the military-industrial complex is what makes her uniquely qualified to lead the ODNI. She is not concerned about getting a cushy job with Raytheon or Lockheed Martin after she leaves Washington D.C. as that ship sailed many years ago. Gabbard has not had the ways of the CIA inculcated into her throughout her career and does not feel beholden to the system in the slightest. That is why she has declassified more documents than any intelligence community official in history.

MAGA must protect Gabbard against all the threats coming her way. She is an invaluable cog within the Administration. There are forces working constantly to sabotage any chance of any deep state criminals associated with Russia-gate, 2020 election fraud or any other of their nefarious, clandestine schemes from being locked behind bars. Nearly a year and a half into Trump’s second term, none of the crooks have even been forced to stand trial. Time is ticking, and Gabbard’s ouster would all but ensure that they escape culpability. The Deep State must be defanged, and Gabbard’s presence in ths administration is needed to accomplish this gargantuan task.