In a recent Facebook post, the US Embassy to Hungary issued a warning to those ‘who are in business’ with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Chief of Staff, Antal Rogán, urging them to reconsider their activities. ‘We encourage those who are in business with Minister Rogán, his many proxies, entities he de facto controls, and those from which he benefits to review their activities carefully,’ the post stated.
On Tuesday, the US Treasury, alongside outgoing US Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman, announced that Rogán would be placed on a sanctions list over allegations of high-level corruption. Under the so-called Magnitsky sanctions, Rogán is barred from entering the United States.
Many interpreted the sanctions as a ‘parting gift’ from Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration, under which US–Hungarian relations have reached a new low. Former U.S. Ambassador to Hungary David Cornstein criticized the move, describing it as ‘terrible and shameful.’ He further stated: ‘Both the Biden administration and the Obama administration have demonstrated hostility towards Hungary, which has not served the interests of either country. In contrast, under the Trump administration, excellent relations were established between the two nations.’
Bryan E. Leib, a potential successor to David Pressman, has also voiced criticism of the sanctions in several posts and statements in Hungarian media. He condemned the move as a politically motivated act that undermines the credibility of American diplomacy, arguing that the decision not only targets the Hungarian government but also harms the United States’ diplomatic integrity.
All Gone After 20 January
In response to Hungarian Conservative’s inquiry about the recent Facebook post by the US Embassy, Leib stated: ‘It’s clear for all of us to see that the recent sanctioning of Mr. Rogán is all part of David Pressman’s elaborate mission to drive a wedge into US–Hungarian relations and to do everything he can on his way out the door to damage relations.’
Leib added: ‘Even Democrats like Ben Rhodes recently acknowledged on a podcast that this is largely meant to send a message, and the timing of this shows the motives. It won’t hold up for long.’
‘We are ashamed of him [Pressman] and his behaviour’
‘As Pressman prepares to return to the United States, he leaves behind a legacy that no one in America is proud of. Honestly, we are ashamed of him and his behaviour,’ the American diplomat highlighted. Finally, Leib assured Hungary that with Donald Trump’s inauguration, ‘all of this will begin to change immediately.’
Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó shares a similar view, describing the US Treasury’s decision on Tuesday as ‘petty revenge.’ This perspective is further supported by the likelihood that the sanctions will be lifted after Donald Trump’s inauguration on 20 January, suggesting that the real aim of the move have been political agitation rather than substantive action.
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