A bipartisan group of US lawmakers has urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take action in defense of former American-employed personnel in Georgia, saying they have become targets of politically charged rhetoric from Georgian officials. The appeal comes amid a rise in anti-Western narratives promoted by members of Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream.
In their letter, the senators and representatives called on the State Department to seek formal assurances from the Georgian government that former employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and other US programs in Georgia “will not be maligned or targeted.” They warned that recent statements by Georgian officials have put these individuals at personal risk.
The letter cites remarks made on October 1 by Mamuka Mdinaradze, head of Georgia’s State Security Service, who reportedly accused the United States of “funding revolutionary activities” through payments to former USAID staff. Lawmakers clarified that the payments in question were legally mandated severance benefits, not covert funding. “This mischaracterization,” they wrote, “is putting Foreign Service Nationals in harm’s way and undermines efforts to strengthen US–Georgia relations.”
The authors of the letter noted that although the Georgian Dream government frequently claims to seek closer ties with Washington, its “continued actions and statements indicate otherwise.” They also underscored that protecting US-affiliated personnel abroad is a matter of national interest. “If we do not defend personnel from attacks by a foreign government,” the lawmakers warned, “it will limit our ability to recruit and to carry out US policy around the world.”
The letter was signed by Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Roger Wicker, John Curtis, and Sheldon Whitehouse, along with Representatives Joe Wilson and Steve Cohen, reflecting rare bipartisan unity on a foreign-policy issue.
The appeal follows months of tension between Washington and Tbilisi, as Georgian Dream officials have accused Western partners of meddling in domestic politics, while US leaders have expressed growing concern over democratic backsliding and anti-American rhetoric in Georgia.
By Team GT
