Bryan E Leib, a potential successor to Washington’s infamous former ambassador to Hungary David Pressman, has welcomed the removal of Pressman’s ‘toxic’ speeches from the US Embassy’s website. He also vowed to hold accountable those who collaborated with the former ambassador in his efforts to discredit Hungary and oust Prime Minister Viktor Orbán from power.
‘Once we start to look under the hood of Pressman’s operation in Budapest, we are going to find many accomplices inside the Embassy, the Hungarian opposition, and the “independent” media that he showered with grants in the name of democracy,’ Leib wrote in a post on X. He added: ‘Mark my words—actions like this will have serious consequences for all who were involved in this.’
Leib’s statement comes at a time when US foreign interference is under intense scrutiny, as President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department for Government Efficiency (DOGE) continue their purge of the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The agency, which allocates the majority of US foreign assistance, is widely viewed as an extended arm of the CIA, funnelling millions of dollars worldwide to promote woke gender ideology and a globalist foreign policy agenda.
USAID has a long history of meddling in Hungarian politics, funding NGOs and media outlets critical of the government. According to a national intelligence investigation launched afterward, USAID and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) were part of a scheme in 2022 that funnelled millions of US taxpayer dollars to the Hungarian opposition during the parliamentary election campaign. In 2023 USAID Administrator Samantha Power visited Hungary to meet with opposition figures and journalists, describing the visit as an effort to make a change in the country—a statement some interpreted as an admission of attempts to organize a color revolution in Hungary.
During his tenure in Budapest, Pressman closely coordinated with NGOs and media outlets funded by USAID and the Department of State. Even after his departure, the US Embassy in Hungary announced millions of Hungarian forints in grants to some of the country’s biggest opposition outlets—on the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Pressman used his diplomatic mission in Hungary to destabilize the Hungarian government. In his speeches and statements, he frequently criticized its policies and foreign relations, particularly Budapest’s close ties with Moscow and Beijing. The US Embassy even ran paid social media campaigns attacking Orbán’s government. Under Pressman and the Biden administration, US–Hungary relations deteriorated significantly, with the former ambassador placing senior Hungarian government official Antal Rogán on a sanctions list in his final days in office.
With Trump back in the White House and US foreign policy firmly following an ‘America First’ approach, relations between Budapest and Washington are back on track. Negotiations to restore the double taxation agreement between the two countries, which had been terminated by Biden’s administration, have already begun as Hungary awaits the appointment of a new ambassador.
According to an anonymous source speaking to Hungarian Conservative, Bryan Leib is among the top candidates to fill the vacant position. Leib has been one of Pressman’s most vocal critics and has consistently defended Hungary on social media and in multiple interviews with Hungarian media. Earlier, he had even called on Pressman to remove the now-deleted speeches from the Embassy’s website.
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