The Voice of America reports that “the strategically critical U.S.-Turkey relationship is coming under increasing strain as authorities in Ankara crack down on alleged coup plotters and sympathizers.”  

“Washington is caught between expressing alarm about increasingly authoritarian measures being taken under Turkey’s state of emergency and showing support for a democratically elected government that fought off a military putsch.”  

“A further source of irritation is persistent rumors in Turkey that the United States played a role in the attempted coup, something State Department spokesman John Kirby characterized on Thursday as ‘ludicrous.'”