On May 21, during a U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio referred to Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party as an “anti-American government” in response to a question from Congressman Joe Wilson.
“For 200 consecutive days,” Wilson said, “freedom-loving Georgians have heroically taken to the streets, wrapping themselves in American flags and carrying posters of the president.” He asked Rubio what the U.S. State Department, under his leadership, would do to “impose real costs on the anti-American Georgian Dream on behalf of the people of Georgia.”
Rubio responded: “Going back to what I’ve said earlier in my opening statement, the goal of the United States is our national interest. So we will look at that and say: is it in our national interest to have an anti-American government governing an important part of the world? And if not, we’ll take appropriate actions to impose costs on that government.”
He further noted that it’s “currently under review,” and “we’re looking for options and additional options. I have no announcement today specifically on what we plan to do yet, but I can tell you that, that it’s something that’s being discussed.”
“And again, a great example of why we’re going to look to our regional bureaus and our local office on the ground there to provide us guidance as to what are the measures that the government, the anti-American government, would be most responsive to,” Rubio added.
During the hearing Wilson accused the GD rigging the October 26 elections and “criminalizing association with America.” He further claimed that Georgian Dream “kicked out American companies, blocking trade and mineral access to the Middle Corridor, and sold Georgia to the Chinese Communist Party,” and “repeatedly smearing President Trump and American leadership.”
Rubio’s remarks come amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tbilisi over the democratic backsliding, GD’s intensified repression, and anti-Western rhetoric. On May 6, the Senate’s House of Representatives passed the MEGOBARI Act that calls for sanctions against GD officials with bipartisan support.
On May 13, Irakli Kobakhidze addressed an open letter to U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance, calling it the Act, “absurd law” and “hostile” toward what he describes as “the Georgian people and the government they democratically elected.” Written in a tone of frustration, the letter conveys the grievance that the GD’s attempts to reset relations with the U.S. “from a clean slate” have gone ignored.
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