Georgian PM thanks US Intelligence Chief Gabbard for ‘exposing deep state’

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has praised US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard for what he described as her role in exposing the so-called deep state, while accusing international actors of conducting coordinated smear campaigns against political opponents, including Georgia’s ruling party.

In a lengthy social media post, Kobakhidze referenced recent claims by Gabbard - appointed by US President Donald Trump earlier this year - alleging that former President Barack Obama fabricated accusations of Russian interference in the 2016 US election. According to Kobakhidze, President Trump personally thanked Gabbard and submitted the related materials to the US Department of Justice.

Labeling Gabbard a “truth-teller,” Kobakhidze claimed her revelations confirm what he described as a wider pattern: a tactic by powerful intelligence and media networks to brand political opponents around the world as “pro-Russian” in order to discredit them.

“For years, we have heard accusations about Bidzina Ivanishvili's pro-Russian stance,” Kobakhidze wrote, referring to the billionaire founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party. “No one has presented a single fact. We are dealing with Goebbels-like propaganda methods.”

The Prime Minister extended the accusation to include opposition parties, civil society organizations, and even the European bureaucracy, suggesting they were acting under the influence of what he called the deep state.

He cited cases from France, Romania, Moldova, and Hungary to support his claim, alleging that right-leaning or nationalist politicians in those countries had been unjustly targeted and labeled pro-Russian by Western institutions and media.

Kobakhidze said the Georgian government was being similarly targeted because it “does not act on external orders, protects sovereignty, rejects LGBT propaganda, and has not joined foreign wars.”

His comments come amid growing tensions between Tbilisi and Western partners over democratic backsliding and controversial legislation affecting media and civil society in Georgia.