<span style="color: #222222;">The United States sanctioned two Turkish officials over a detained American pastor who is being tried on espionage and terror-related charges.<br />''</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders today said the Trump administration would sanction Turkey's Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu over the holding of 50-year-old Andrew Craig Brunson. <br />''<br />''The men had played leading roles in Brunson's 2016 arrest and detention, said Sarah Sanders.<br />''</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement formally announcing the financial restrictions, Pastor Brunson's unjust detention and continued prosecution by Turkish officials is simply unacceptable. <br />''<br />''President Trump has made it abundantly clear that the United States expects Turkey to release him immediately, he added. <br />''</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">On Tuesday, a Turkish court rejected Brunson's appeal to be released from house arrest during his trial on terrorism charges. </span><br />'' <br />