Carney Rejects US Election-Interference Claims and Defends Turkey Ties During Istanbul Visit

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday in Istanbul that U.S. allegations that Canadian politicians are interfering in next month's American midterm elections have no merit. He also said he was disappointed with President Trump's ambassador to Canada over the accusations. Carney spoke to reporters during a visit to Turkey that began Wednesday, when he arrived to discuss expanding trade and other bilateral cooperation with the fellow NATO member. The visit is described as unprecedented in the two countries' history. At the same press conference, reporters challenged him on doing business with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government because of its human rights record. Carney said his foreign policy, which he calls values-based realism, lets Canada work with countries whose conduct it does not approve of, and that engagement is not approval. He said such trade does not undermine Canadian values or legitimize Erdogan.

The right-leaning outlet Breitbart leads with the Turkey portion of the press conference. Its headline and opening call Carney a leftist, call Turkey Islamist, and cast his stance as a contradiction of his progressive values. It adds criticism of Erdogan's treatment of LGBTQ people, Kurds and opposition groups, and his support for Hamas. The opening shown does not mention the election-interference dispute. The left-leaning Washington Post leads with Carney dismissing the U.S. claims and criticizing the ambassador; its excerpt gives no Turkey details. AP, the alternative source, matches the Post's headline and focus. Both sides place Carney in Istanbul on Friday. They differ on which remarks they treat as the story and on how they characterize him and Turkey.