WASHINGTON — US lawmakers are considering retaliatory measures against strategic ally Bahrain following the expulsion of the State Department's top human-rights envoy.

Senators of both parties on Tuesday expressed dismay at the news that Assistant Secretary of State Tom Malinowski was declared persona non grata after meeting with opposition activists. Lawmakers told Al-Monitor that they're reviewing their options, while democracy advocates expressed hopes that the incident would give a boost to their long-standing push for targeted sanctions such as visa bans and asset freezes.

"I'm just going to talk to Mr. Malinowski about the situation and what he would like to see done," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., told Al-Monitor. "But obviously he was doing his job, I think, carrying out his responsibilities. He's in charge of human rights, and I don't think it was wrong of him to meet with the opposition."

Malinowski himself has given some indication of what he might recommend. In a 2012 appearance before Congress' Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, the then director of Human Rights Watch's Washington office urged lawmakers to target Bahraini human-rights violators.