Ellison casts tie-breaking vote on Armenian genocide resolution
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.
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