Republican lawmakers call on incoming administration to target ‘axis of aggressors’
Violent protests erupt in Georgia
Protests erupted in Georgia after the leader of the pro-Putin Dream party shelved talks to join the European Union over accusations of foreign interference in the country. (Source: Associated Press)
As the 119th Congress prepares to open on January 3, a Republican congressman is calling on the incoming Trump administration to advance U.S. interests and target malign foreign actors.
In a letter obtained by Fox News Digital, South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson called on Secretary of State nominee Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and national security adviser nominee Rep. Michael Vo Ertz (R-Fla.) “has prioritized” using U.S. law enforcement mechanisms to expose and dismantle Georgia sanctions evasion schemes, fraudulent call centers and other illegal Georgia Dream businesses.
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The letter comes after the United States imposed sanctions on Vizina Ivanishvili, the former prime minister of Georgia and the Russian billionaire who is the country’s de facto ruler.
These actions allowed the Ivanishvili regime to profit from atrocities such as Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, “abetted by the complicity of China, North Korea and Iran,” according to the MPs’ letter.
On December 27, Ivanishvili was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for “undermining Georgia’s democracy and the Euro-Atlantic future in the interests of the Russian Federation.”
Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) speaks during a press conference on the Ukraine Victory Resolution on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., April 25, 2023. (Reuters/Julia Nicholson)
MP Wilson, chairman of the Helsinki Committee, called the sanctions against Ivanishvili a “significant step forward” and urged the incoming government to extend sanctions to Ivanishvili’s immediate family and close associates :
“This is a critical opportunity to advance our shared goals of defending democracy and countering malign influence around the world. If Georgia is restored to the rule of the Georgian people, the ax of the aggressor will lose an important force multiplier,” the letter reads.
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Wilson’s letter is a continuation of a series of public outcry among Georgian observers in the United States and Europe following the “Georgian Dream” party’s controversial victory in October’s parliamentary elections and the government’s subsequent decision to suspend EU membership. .
Local and international election observers, including a delegation from the International Republican Institute (IRI), concluded that the election was “fundamentally flawed”.
Georgian Dream Party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili speaks after the results of the parliamentary election exit polls were released at the Georgian Dream Party headquarters in Tbilisi, Georgia, on October 26, 2024. (Reuters/Irakli Gedenidze)
“Reflecting on what the IRI mission has observed and what has happened since the election, only new elections can restore the Georgian people’s confidence in the legitimacy of their government,” said IRI President Dan Twining.
Despite calls for new elections at home and abroad, the one-party parliament announced the appointment of its sole presidential candidate, former football player and hard-line Western critic Mikhail Kavelashvili, at its inauguration ceremony on December 29 (Mikheil Kavelashvili), foreign dignitaries and guests were conspicuously absent.
Georgia Dream officials have repeatedly downplayed the prospect of U.S. sanctions. Minutes after the Finance Ministry announced the news, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze claimed that “in fact, nothing has changed”.
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Kobakhidze and other party leaders also expressed optimism about “positive changes” after President Trump took office on January 20. However, Laura Lindeman, a senior fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council, said this is unlikely to happen.
“Given that Trump’s national security team is likely to take a tougher stance against countries allied with China and Iran, Georgian Dream clearly believes they will get better deals under the Trump administration,” Lindemann told Fox News Digital. Treatment, this is wrong.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump attends the Turning Point USA Festival at the Phoenix Convention Center on December 22, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
Lindemann also said that congressional Republicans are basically unanimous in supporting Georgia’s democratic future, and “Trump is unlikely to spend political capital to challenge the bipartisan consensus on Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic path.”
In recent years, the Georgian Dream government led by Ivanishvilis has become increasingly isolated from the West and aligned with authoritarian regimes. Until recently, Georgia, a strategic partner of the United States, has now formally established such a partnership with China, favoring Chinese companies over U.S. investment, adopting Russian-style “foreign agent” laws, and imposing a moratorium on entry. alliance negotiations. This year alone, Prime Minister Kobakhidze has visited Iran many times. In Tehran, he attended the funeral of late Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi and the inauguration of new President Masoud Pezeshkian, who was sworn in amid chants of “Death to America, Death to Israel.”
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James Carafano, senior adviser and chief foreign policy expert at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital that regimes relying on support from Moscow and Beijing will find “the game is over,” adding that they cannot count on support from Moscow and Beijing extending a “helpful or cold hand.”
“If U.S. interests are at stake, and Georgia has some interests at stake, then a government that wants to rely on Moscow may not only get a cold shoulder from Trump, but a shoulder pad,” Carafano said.
