The move is surprising given that Mullin previously introduced sanctions legislation targeting Georgian officials.
Senator Markwayne Mullin (R., Okla.) singlehandedly blocked a sanctions bill targeting corrupt Georgian officials from making it into this year’s National Defense Authorization Act, in a mysterious departure from his previous commitment to aggressively confronting foreign officials who work against American interests.
Mullin, who has established himself as a strong conservative voice and close ally of President Trump, pushed behind the scenes to have visa restrictions against members of the Georgian government removed from the initial package of amendments for the NDAA, two senior congressional aides with knowledge of the situation told National Review.
Mullin refused to budge on his commitment to removing the provision from the legislation for reasons that are not entirely clear, the aides said. The Oklahoma Republican met with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R.,S.D.) in recent days and, soon after, the provisions were pulled from the must-pass NDAA amendments package and the State Department authorization bill for the upcoming fiscal year, separate legislation attached to the mammoth defense policy bill.
For months, Mullin has taken an unshakable stand against the visa restriction measure, the aides said, beginning with his opposition to expediting the legislation’s passage through the unanimous consent process. Libertarian Senator Rand Paul (R., Ky.), a principled opponent of U.S. foreign intervention, was the only other senator preventing the bill from receiving unanimous consent.
Mullin benefitted in his opposition from Thune’s commitment to taking a more cooperative approach to legislation than previous leaders. Removing the bill from the NDAA and State authorization demonstrates Mullin’s commitment to blocking all avenues for its potential passage, despite the Georgian regime’s democratic backsliding and opposition to American geopolitical interests.
National Review repeatedly contacted Mullin’s office to ask why he worked to kill the sanctions bill.
The legislation that Mullin killed would primarily work to restrict visas for corrupt officials in Georgia’s dominant ruling party. It empowers the president to limit visas for Georgian government officials if they are found to be corrupt, violent, or working against American interests in Europe.
Mullin’s opposition to the visa restriction measure comes as a surprise given his voting record and past criticism of the Georgian regime. In 2019, Mullin introduced legislation to sanction Georgia and government officials found to be undermining the interest of American businessmen and the U.S. government . It is unclear when exactly Mullin reversed course in his approach to Georgia.
Georgia’s government is run by the Georgian Dream political party, which supports closer relationships with China, Russia, and Iran, the three most powerful U.S. adversaries. Originally a leftist party, Georgian Dream now claims to stand for conservative values and uses rhetoric familiar to MAGA conservatives in the U.S., such as accusing political opponents of belonging to the “deep state.”
Asked about his opposition to imposing sanctions on the Georgian officials earlier this week, Mullin told The Hill that his decision was motivated by a desire to build bridges with the Georgian Dream party.
“I understand kind of where they’re [Georgian Dream] trying to get to. I also understand the direct influence that Russia is having and kind of stirring up disdain, I guess, inside the government,” Mullin said.
“And so I want to be able to work with them before we throw sanctions on them. I want to work with them to see how they can, you know, have true sovereignty, to get away from the overbearing influence of Russia.”
Critics of Georgian Dream argue that party members’ recent conservative posturing represents a cynical attempt to cozy up to the Trump administration while maintaining their underlying anti-American commitments.
“The idea that Georgian Dream is some conservative party is entirely a PR operation. They used to self-identify as social democrats and caucused with the European socialists until it became more expedient to reinvent themselves as more MAGA than Trump,” said a former congressional aide who has worked for top Senate Republicans.
“But if you look at their policies, it’s not individualism or small business or supporting the working class — it’s anti-American kleptocracy in league with Beijing, Tehran, and Moscow.”
Georgian Dream become part of China’s Belt and Road initiative, its long-term geopolitical and economic development plan. In addition, the party has increased economic ties to Russia and blamed NATO for Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. Along those lines, Georgian Dream has suspended European membership talks until 2028, one of several factors motivating recent protests against the regime.
The party also appears committed to building a closer diplomatic and economic relationship with Iran.
In May 2024, Georgian prime minister Irakli Kobakhidze attended the funeral of former Iranian president Ebrahim Rasi after he died in a helicopter crash. Kobakhidze also attended the inauguration of Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian and the pair subsequently met to discuss their deepening ties. Georgian economic activity with Iran has increased significantly over the past 12 years and trade between the two nations increased almost 25 percent in the past two years.
Domestically, Georgian dream has consolidated political power by suppressing political opposition and winning elections last year that many observers consider illegitimate. In July, the European Commission adopted a report declaring the Georgian elections “rigged” and a sign of serious backsliding towards authoritarian rule. Georgian Dream controls all branches of the country’s government and most of its political opposition is imprisoned.
It matters to the U.S. because Georgia is a geographically important country due to its proximity to Russia.
“Every major oil and gas pipeline that connects Europe to the Caspian and central Asian oil and gas fields have to pass through Georgia. The region’s main fiber optic cables go through Georgia. The main east west motorway in the south caucuses goes through Georgia,” explained Luke Coffey, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute.
“It’s important that Georgia doesn’t fall under total control of Moscow. It’s in America’s interest that these transit routes exist and they’re maintained.”
Coffey wrote a report for Hudson earlier this year calling for several major U.S. actions to combat Georgian Dream, including sanctions and suspending military cooperation.
Last year, the U.S. sanctioned Georgian Dream’s de-facto leader, oligarch and former prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili. Separately, the U.S. sanctioned two Georgian officials for brutally cracking down on media, opposition, and protesters. U.S. sanctions on an increasingly autocratic regime opposed to American geopolitical interests would not be out of the ordinary. Imposing them on Georgian dream in the form of visa restrictions would likely gain significant bipartisan support in the Senate.