Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States is willing to consider the extradition of Pennsylvania-based cleric Fetullah Gulen. | Getty Kerry: U.S. will consider Turkey's extradition request

The United States is willing to consider the extradition of Pennsylvania-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused of plotting a failed coup attempt, Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday.

In an interview on ABC's "This Week," Kerry said Turkish officials are assembling evidence but have not yet made a formal request.


Kerry said he told Turkey's foreign minister on Saturday that the U.S. will "immediately" evaluate the facts once they are submitted.

"We're not holding back from doing anything, nor have we ever been," Kerry said. "We've always said, look, if you have evidence of X, Y or Z, please present it to us. Turkey is a friend. Turkey is an ally."

But Kerry warned that the U.S. has "very strict standards in order to protect people's rights."

"We will go through our legal process," he said.

Gulen, 75, is a resident of Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania. He left Turkey in 1999, and on Saturday, he denied involvement in the attempt to topple Erdogan. "In brief, I don't even know who my followers are," he said.

Erdogan appears to be "fully in control" after the failed coup attempt, Kerry said. The U.S. has expressed concern that the attempted coup not fuel "a reach well beyond those who engaged in the coup" and that the event is used as "a moment to unite the nation."

"Obviously there are coup plotters, and the coup plotters need to be held accountable, and they will be," he said.