Four US Officials Seek Revocation of George Simion’s Visa

Four U.S. officials, two of them former ambassadors to Romania, are questioning George Simion’s U.S. visa in an opinion article published by the Jerusalem Post, arguing that his compatibility with the values the United States seeks to defend should be reviewed.   They accuse Simion of repeatedly echoing narratives favorable to the Kremlin, but say that even more concerning is his continued and unconditional support for Calin Georgescu to secure a high-ranking position.   The article was signed by former U.S. ambassadors to Bucharest Adrian Zuckerman and Mark Gitenstein, former U.S. ambassador to Belgium Ronald Gidwitz, and former Virginia Governor James S. Gilmore III.   “Why does George Simion, leader of Romania’s AUR party, continue to enjoy the privilege of a U.S. visa, despite a political record that has repeatedly raised concerns among historians, Jewish organizations and democracy observers?” the four officials ask.   “This is not a question of rights. It is a question of whether the United States should grant the privilege of entry to individuals whose actions, rhetoric and political associations appear fundamentally incompatible with American values,” they argue in the opinion piece, titled “How Much Is Holocaust Memory Worth? Less Than a U.S. Visa for George Simion?”   The authors note that Simion has made sustained efforts to portray himself as pro-American and close to the MAGA movement. However, they argue that many of his positions suggest otherwise.   According to the four officials, Simion’s rhetoric has repeatedly echoed narratives favorable to the Kremlin. At the same time, Simion remains barred from entering both Moldova and Ukraine.   “Despite Georgescu’s repeated antisemitic statements, praise for fascist figures and attacks on Western institutions and leaders, Simion has continued to defend him and promote him as a central figure in Romania’s nationalist movement,” the four U.S. officials write.   They conclude that the United States should carefully examine whether George Simion’s political record — as well as that of the movement he leads — is compatible with the values America seeks to defend, and whether he should continue to enjoy the privilege of holding a U.S. visa.   The Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) has rejected accusations against party leader George Simion, calling them part of a “witch hunt” and accusing former US Ambassador to Romania Adrian Zuckerman of applying a double standard.   In a statement issued Monday, AUR said Simion was being labeled “pro-Russian” and accused of supporting Kremlin positions without conclusive evidence. The party compared the accusations to those directed at US President Donald Trump during his first term in office, arguing that Trump himself was repeatedly accused of being pro-Russian.   “The first ‘pro-Russian’ – and the most important of them – was Donald Trump,” AUR said, according to the statement. The party also pointed to Zuckerman’s tenure as US ambassador to Romania during Trump’s first administration, arguing that the former diplomat had witnessed similar accusations being made against the US president.“Who, if not him, faced these types of accusations, repeatedly and virulently made without evidence, against his direct superior?” AUR said.   The party further argued that if the allegations circulated by the US mainstream media at the time had been true, Zuckerman would have served as ambassador to a president whom the media portrayed as pro-Russian, racist and, at times, antisemitic. AUR also referred to the investigations into alleged links between Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Russia, saying that an official investigation had not demonstrated the existence of a secret agreement between Trump and Vladimir Putin’s Russia. The Romanian party rejected the accusations against Simion and accused Zuckerman of turning himself into a “political prosecutor.”“It is sad, but also deeply unfair. Nothing in the party’s positions, AUR’s doctrine or the public statements of its leader supports these accusations,” the party said. AUR concluded by accusing the former US ambassador of applying a “double standard” in his criticism of Simion.