Biden readies travel bans on Georgia officials for undermining October election

President Biden is readying visa restrictions on officials in the country of Georgia amid a government crackdown on mass protests against the claimed victory by the Georgian Dream party, which critics say is turning the country toward Russia.

The administration is expected to issue a number of travel bans Thursday, according to people familiar with the matter, targeting individuals believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the election process, along with their family members.

The names of those sanctioned are not typically revealed publicly. The sanctions come on top of other efforts the Biden administration has taken in opposition to Georgian Dream’s contested claims of election victory, and its violence against protesters who have stayed in the streets for two weeks.

Other measures the U.S. has taken include suspending U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership mechanisms in November. The administration is expected to make a statement that it is reviewing options and planning additional steps.

But Democratic and Republican lawmakers in Congress have criticized the Biden administration for moving too slowly and too cautiously on taking actions on Georgia, in particular for holding back sanctions on Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire founder and de-facto leader of the ruling party who made his fortune in Russia.

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), the outgoing chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told The Hill he wants to see sanctions on Ivanishvili.

“The executive branch can act, and we're expecting the executive branch [will].”

Critics accuse Ivanishvili of employing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s playbook in stifling dissent; enacting legislation to bankrupt, intimidate and criminalize his opposition; and turning the country away from integration with the European Union. Georgian Dream announced late last month it was suspending its talks to join the EU, in contravention of the country's constitution.

“I’m very frustrated because in my view we’re not doing enough, we are failing to meet this moment and answer this call,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the incoming ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on the Senate floor Thursday afternoon.

“We have failed to respond in a meaningful way to change the calculus of Georgian Dream’s leadership. They are paying no price for their actions as they defy the will of the people and take pages from Putin's authoritarian playbook.”

Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), the incoming chair of the Foreign Relations panel, aligned himself with Shaheen’s remarks on the Senate floor.

“The ghosts of the Russian empire are still there in that country [Georgia], and they’re showing up in what's happening today. … It is brutal, it involves torture, it involves arrests, it involves all the things we see from old Soviet Union,” he said.

“We passed a bill that gives the Biden administration to go in and levy sanctions on people ... who should be sanctioned, and it’s not a secret. … Let’s get at it. … I’m deeply disappointed we haven’t done that.”

The Georgian opposition and protesters are warning that time is running out. Parliamentary elections are Saturday to choose the country's next president, and only Georgian Dream members will vote.

Incumbent Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili's term ends Monday. The last president to be elected directly from the people, she is at the forefront of opposition to GD's claim of election victory.

"In depth discussion with Presidents Trump and [French President] Macron," Zurabishvili posted on the social media site X last week.

"Exposed the stolen election and extremely alarming repression against the people of Georgia. Underscored the need for a strong US. The Georgian people have a friend in Donald Trump. God bless the United States of America."

Updated at 3:24 p.m. EST

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