U.S. Lawmakers Urge Secretary Rubio to Defend Former U.S.-Employed Personnel Amid GD Attacks
A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers has called on U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to advocate on behalf of former U.S.-employed personnel “who have been unfairly targeted by Georgian officials,” citing, among others, recent controversial remarks by the Georgian State Security Chief about U.S. transactions.
In a letter dated November 5 and signed by Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Roger Wicker, John Curtis, and Sheldon Whitehouse, along with Representatives Joe Wilson and Steve Cohen, lawmakers urged Secretary Rubio “to seek assurances from the Georgian government that former United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Foreign Service Nationals (FSNs) and other personnel employed by the United States will not be maligned or targeted.”
“Georgian authorities, led by Georgian Dream, have repeatedly proclaimed a desire to rebuild the bilateral relationship with the United States, but their continued actions and statements indicate otherwise,” the lawmakers wrote.
The letter cited October 1 remarks by Mamuka Mdinaradze, head of Georgia’s State Security Service, claiming that funds coming from an embassy in Thailand, apparently meaning the U.S. mission, were used for “revolutionary goals” in Georgia.
The lawmakers clarified in the letter that the payments “were actually termination (pension) payments required by Georgian law following the termination of U.S. personnel,” warning that “this mischaracterization is putting FSNs in harm’s way,” and requested the State Department to “call on Georgian Dream to formally and publicly recant these dangerous statements.”
“Georgian Dream has demonstrated no serious intent of seeking to improve bilateral relations with the United States,” the letter noted.
The lawmakers warned that such rhetoric “poses a danger to U.S. personnel in Georgia and sets a concerning precedent for other foreign governments,” stressing that “FSNs and former U.S. partners must not be exploited as political pawns.”
“If we do not defend personnel from attacks by a foreign government, it will limit our ability to recruit personnel and carry out the policy of the United States around the world,” the letter reads, urging Secretary Rubio “to denounce these attacks and ensure that the State Department pushes back vigorously against the targeting of personnel working on behalf of the United States wherever it may arise.”
The letter comes amid a persistent strain in relations between Washington and Tbilisi, following anti-democratic actions and anti-Western rhetoric by the Georgian Dream authorities. The United States has already imposed sanctions on ruling party figures, including GD founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, and suspended the U.S.–Georgia Strategic Partnership mechanism, while Congress advances measures such as the bipartisan MEGOBARI Act targeting individuals accused of undermining democracy.
Despite frequent public calls by GD officials to “reset” ties with Washington following Donald Trump’s reelection as U.S. President, relations remain at a low point.
Earlier, Mdinaradze’s comments prompted the State Department to summon Georgian Ambassador Tamar Taliashvili on October 4 to convey “objection to statements by Georgian government officials amplifying false media reports, which mischaracterized routine U.S. government financial transfers to former U.S. employees.”
Also Read:
- 19/09/2025 – U.S. House Committee Approves GD Non-Recognition Amendment for Inclusion in State Dep. Bill
- 26/09/2025 – Kavelashvili Says He Spoke With Trump About Restarting Relations at UN Dinner
- 06/02/2025 – GD Accuses US Embassy, USAID, NED, EED, Foreign-Funded CSOs of Coordinated Work Against Georgia
- 02/10/2023 – Security Service Says USAID-funded Trainers were Plotting to Foment Unrest in Georgia
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