A group of Republican senators demanded an apology from the Turkish government following an assault on protesters who gathered outside the Turkey ambassador's residence in the United States.

Axar.az reports citing Washington Examiner.

"It is indicated that some Turkish officials were involved in assaulting protestors, which violates the most basic rules of diplomacy and is an affront to the United States and the value we place on the right to free speech, as embodied in our Constitution," the lawmakers — Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Ted Cruz of Texas, Mike Lee of Utah, and Marco Rubio of Florida — said Wednesday.

D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham promised to investigate "what appeared to be a brutal attack on peaceful protesters at the Turkish ambassador's residence," much of which was caught on video. The incident coincided with a visit to the White House from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who met with President Trump amid pressure from lawmakers who wanted the Trump to rebuke the Turkish leader's authoritarian crackdown on dissidents.

A White House summary of Trump's meeting with Erdogan featured no criticism of the Turkish president, but the violence outside the embassy provoked a response from the State Department.

"Violence is never an appropriate response to free speech, and we support the rights of people everywhere to free expression and peaceful protest," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Wednesday. "We are communicating our concern to the Turkish government in the strongest possible terms."

The senators went further, demanding a specific apology. "It is even more concerning coming from one of our own NATO allies," the senators added. "We call upon the Turkish government to apologize immediately for the involvement of any officials."