Georgian Parliament Speaker dismisses Helsinki Commission statement over postponed Georgia briefing, questions witness choice amid “sunny” Washington weather

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday questioned the official reason cited for postponing a briefing by the US Helsinki Commission on Georgia, noting that the weather in Washington did not appear to justify the delay.

Commenting on the postponement of the Helsinki Commission’s planned briefing, which was attributed to bad weather, Papuashvili said he personally checked the weather forecast in Washington and found no indication of adverse conditions.

“I checked the weather forecast in Washington and it’s sunny, with no precipitation. Apparently, in some places in Washington the wind is blowing, and maybe the bad weather is in those particular spots”, he said.

The Speaker also criticised the Helsinki Commission for inviting Laura Thornton as a witness, calling the decision a form of self-discrediting.

“I can’t say what the reason was either for convening the session or for postponing it. However, one thing was obvious: when you invite as a witness an enemy of President Trump - Laura Thornton, who calls him a sexual abuser - you are, first of all, discrediting yourself”, he noted.

He argued that by inviting an opponent of President Trump, the Commission undermined its own credibility - especially considering that Republican members of the Helsinki Commission supported the invitation.

“When members of the Helsinki Commission who belong to the Republican Party invite an enemy of President Trump as a witness, it already shows that they do not understand who they are dealing with. And if they rely on such people to form their opinions, then things must be going very well for them”, Papuashvili concluded.

Due to weather-related disruptions, the US Helsinki Commission postponed its planned briefing on the situation in Georgia.