Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okl.) is standing in the way of a bipartisan push to tighten sanctions on the country of Georgia, which lawmakers and advocates say is the best way to stand up for pro-democracy forces and counter Russian, Chinese and Iranian influence in the country.

Mullin is blocking passage of the MEGOBARI Act, bipartisan and bicameral legislation that codifies sanctions against officials in the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party for human rights abuses, corruption, undermining democracy and deepening ties with American adversaries.

In a last-minute push in late August, Mullin succeeded in getting Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-N.D.) to strip the bill from the managers package for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), two congressional sources confirmed to The Hi

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