Republican congressman calls on incoming administration to target “The Axis of Aggressors”
Violent protests have erupted in Georgia following the decision by pro-Putin Dream Party leader, Bidzina Ivanishvili, to stall talks to join the European Union over claims of foreign interference in the country. The situation has escalated to the point where the 119th Congress is preparing for an opening session on January 3rd, and one Republican Congressman is urging the incoming Trump administration to take action against these foreign malign actors.
In a letter obtained by Fox News Digital, South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson is calling on Secretary of State nominee, Senator Marco Rubio, and National Security Advisor nominee, Representative Michael Waltz, to prioritize using U.S. law enforcement mechanisms to expose and dismantle Georgian sanctions evasion schemes, scam call centers, and other illicit Georgian Dream enterprises. This comes after the United States imposed sanctions on Ivanishvili for undermining the democratic and Euro-Atlantic future of Georgia for the benefit of the Russian Federation.
Congressman Wilson, who chairs The Helsinki Commission, sees the sanctions on Ivanishvili as a significant step forward and is urging the incoming administration to extend sanctions to Ivanishvili’s immediate family members and cronies. Wilson believes that by doing so, the Georgian people will be able to reclaim their democracy and counter the influence of foreign aggressors.
The disputed victory of Georgian Dream in the October parliamentary elections and the subsequent decision to pause accession to the European Union has led to massive daily demonstrations throughout the country. International election observers, including the International Republican Institute’s (IRI) mission, concluded that the elections were fundamentally flawed, and there have been calls for new elections to restore the Georgian people’s confidence in their government’s legitimacy.
Despite these calls, a single party parliament recently anointed former soccer player and hard-line West critic Mikheil Kavelashvili as the only presidential candidate. This move has been met with criticism from both domestic and international observers. Georgian Dream officials have downplayed the prospect of U.S. sanctions, claiming that nothing has changed in reality.
However, experts believe that the incoming Trump administration is unlikely to favor Georgian Dream, as the party has increasingly aligned itself with authoritarian regimes and moved away from the West. Georgian Dream’s optimistic outlook on receiving favorable treatment from the Trump administration is likely misguided, as Trump’s national security team is expected to take a tough stance against countries aligned with China and Iran.
Regimes that lean on support from Moscow and Beijing are likely to face consequences from the Trump administration, as U.S. interests are at stake in Georgia. The Trump administration is unlikely to challenge the bipartisan consensus on Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic path and will not tolerate foreign interference in the country. The situation in Georgia remains tense, with protests continuing and calls for new elections growing louder.
