On July 22, TV channels Imedi (1, 2, 3) and POSTV, as well as online outlets (Newshub.ge, Prime Time, INFO9, Georgia First NEWS, Exclusive Media) and individual social media accounts (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6), circulated information claiming that documents published on the website of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) show that the United National Movement (UNM) hired an American lobbying firm and that Congressman Joe Wilson also received donations.
The information was also presented in the POSTV program “Political Post.” According to the host Nugzar Khvtisiashvili, the FARA registry reveals that the United National Movement was transferring money to Joe Wilson and other American politicians for anti-Georgian activities.
Members of the ruling Georgian Dream party (Shalva Papuashvili, Levan Makhashvili, Nino Tsilosani, Kakha Kaladze, and Maka Bochorishvili) and members of the People’s Power party (Tamar Chiburdanidze, and Davit Kartvelishvili) also commented on the alleged funding Joe Wilson received. A portion of Chiburdanidze’s post was published on People’s Power’s official Facebook page.
Some media outlets and Facebook accounts manipulatively link the United National Movement’s hiring of a lobbying company to Congressman Joe Wilson. Some broadcasts and posts spread disinformation, claiming that through the lobbying company, the UNM was paying Joe Wilson to make statements about Georgia. In reality, while a contract was indeed signed between the UNM and Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, all donations and transactions made by the lobbying firm to Wilson occurred before this agreement was signed and are not connected to the United National Movement.
According to the released information, the United National Movement hired the lobbying firm Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough. The foreign agents registration database confirms that such an agreement was indeed made.
A contract dated July 1, 2025, which appeared in the FARA registry on July 11, states that the UNM hired the lobbying company for six months. Among the activities listed are advocacy before the U.S. government, providing advice and assistance to support the party’s activities in the U.S., and supporting efforts to ensure free and fair elections in Georgia. The agreement was signed on behalf of the party by General Secretary Petre Tsiskarishvili.
Congressman Joe Wilson is being manipulatively linked to this contract and, by extension, to the United National Movement.
According to the FARA registry, before July 1, 2025, the United National Movement had no prior contract with Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough.
As for the lobbying firm’s relationship with Joe Wilson, both the FARA registry and other sources confirm that the company had previous contacts with Wilson.
On the FARA website, in the section “Active Registrants With Political Activities,” it is noted that Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP last had contact with individuals connected to Wilson, including his media assistant and legislative aide, on November 15, 2023, as part of a contract with the Government of Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, in the section “Active Registrants with Political Contributions,” it is shown that the last donation from Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough to Joe Wilson took place on February 4, 2025.
That same section shows that the most recent contribution Wilson received was from Thomas Kim, founder and president of the lobbying firm Thomas Capitol Partners.
Wilson’s ties with Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough are also confirmed by other sources. According to the independent organization Opensecrets, Wilson received donations from the lobbying company during various election campaigns. During the 2023-24 campaign, Wilson received $10,000 from the firm.
Therefore, based on existing data, no financial link between Joe Wilson and the United National Movement can be confirmed. All donations and transactions made by Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough to Wilson occurred before the company signed a contract with the Georgian party. Moreover, according to the FARA registry, any transaction toward Wilson from any source took place before July 1, 2025 – that is, before the agreement between the United National Movement and the lobbying company was made.
This is not the first time Joe Wilson has been accused of receiving money from Georgia in exchange for lobbying. In December 2024, disinformation was spread about a connection between Wilson and the TV channel Formula. For more details, see Myth Detector’s article:
Archive links: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20
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