In another move that is undermining America’s reputation among its allies, Secretary of State Antony Blinken now is facing a review from the Correctional Tribunal of Paris for condemning a former Albanian president, a longtime friend of America, as “corrupt.”
A report from the American Center for Law and Justice explained the tribunal is scheduled to hear the claim by former Albanian President Sali Berisha that Blinken defamed his reputation by declaring him persona non-grata.
Blinken earlier had “publicly” designated Berisha and his family members as “ineligible for entry into the United States,” because of alleged “corrupt” acts.
Former President of Albania Sali Berisha’s corrupt acts undermined democracy in Albania. I am publicly designating Berisha and his immediate family members as ineligible for entry into the United States. We remain #UnitedAgainstCorruption with our partners in Albania.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) May 19, 2021
The ACLJ explained, “The Biden administration has again stumbled its way into creating an international fiasco, this time it’s Secretary of State Blinken leading the charge of interference in election politics, focusing his attention on Albania’s former President Sali Berisha.
“For those not familiar with Balkan politics, Mr. Berisha is a man with a dynamic past, a staunch opponent of communism, founder of Albania’s Democratic Party, and friend of America,” the report said.
He had largely removed himself from direct participation in politics, establishing a low profile, until “Blinken shocked the region in May by announcing seemingly baseless travel sanctions against Mr. Berisha and his immediate family, barring them from entry into the United States. Secretary Blinken took to Twitter to accuse Mr. Berisha of ‘corrupt acts’ and ‘undermin[ing] democracy in Albania,'” the report said.
Berisha’s response was that America’s State Department was doing the work for radical left billionaire George Soros and his leftist Open Society.
The ACLJ said it, and its European Centre for Law and Justice, have been working to expose Soros’ radical influence around the work.
“Berisha’s claims regarding Secretary Blinken and Soros should not be dismissed so quickly. The U.S. Secretary of State’s parents, Vera and Donald Blinken, have repeatedly donated to Open Society, even creating a permanent endowment at a European-based data archive that carries their name – The Vera and Donald Blinken Open Society Archives,” the ACLJ reported.
Berisha, who previously has sought government investigations of Soros, “has personal experience with Soros from the earliest days of the young nation dating back 30 years. The two had once sought to work together to develop an independent civil society; however, in the eyes of Berisha, Soros was simply creating bureaucratic safe havens for supporters of the former communist dictatorship,” the ACLJ said.
The sanctions used by Blinken “are typically a move reserved for some of the world’s most blatant, evidence-backed violations of international norms and human rights, including that of the likes of Russian oligarchs. Yet Berisha has been a friend to the U.S. and has even been hosted by both Presidents Bush,” the report said.
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