Reuters already dealt with the financial affairs of the American ambassador in Budapest a year and a half ago.
The diplomat came to the attention of the English news agency in connection with his declaration of assets required for the position of ambassador. In an article dated May 2022, Reuters highlighted that while Pressman earned $1.7 million at the law firm Jenner & Block in 2021, the average annual salary of lawyers working at the company is much less, at $1 million. It was mentioned that David Pressman, as part of the Jenner & Block legal team, represented the family of one of the American passengers who died in the Malaysian airliner shot down over Ukraine in 2014, suing two Russian banks.
It is interesting that, according to the Reuters report, Pressman responded late to their questions, which were sent to him when the diplomat's assignment in Budapest was being discussed by the special committee of the US Senate.
Hey, Mr. Ambassador, it's not a nice thing to measure with double standards...
Before his appointment, David Pressman worked at the Jenner & Block law firm. It should be known that, according to the information on its own website, the company has extensive experience in the field of international sanctions and export control matters.
Another interesting name appeared among the former clients of the current ambassador: that of Ellen Pinchuk.
In the 2000s, the woman was a reporter for Moscow's Bloomberg News TV, and soon after appeared as the spokesperson and PR manager of Russian oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov.
It says everything about their professional-business relationship that internal sources described Pinchuk as Prokhorov's most reliable assistant, especially in relation to American press matters. The latter was necessary, as the Russian oligarch bought himself an NBA team in 2010, which he kept until 2019.
The purchase of the basketball team also shows that Prokhorov is no small player. Not so much that Mikhail Prokhorov is one of the richest people in Russia, Forbes magazine estimated his net worth at 11 billion dollars in October 2023.
In addition, according to press reports, the oligarch is closely tied to Russian President Vladimir Putin: Prokhorov allegedly even ran in the 2012 presidential election, just to return Putin's previous favor.
Moreover, Prokhorov is one of the forty-five Russian oligarchs who are not affected by Western sanctions, and according to media reports, the businessman is doing everything to keep it that way.
This is how threads run together. As an associate of a law firm dealing with sanctions law, David Pressman's client was a confidant of Prokhorov, who was trying to escape sanctions, in the period before the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Pressman did not rush to inform the press in Hungary either. The Magyar Nemzet first dealt with the matter on October 19, that day only in the evening of a short Facebook post from the embassy that did not touch the essence of the matter. Pressman responded to Telex almost a week later, including:
"I have never worked for a Russian oligarch, and I have never received a single ruble from a Russian oligarch."
In response to the portal's inquiry, the co-director of the Jenner & Block law firm stated that their work with Ellen Pinchuk was exclusively related to family law, in which no one other than the client's immediate family members was involved. They also mentioned that they never worked for Mikhail Prokhorov. At this point, it is worth noting: our paper did not claim that the oligarch was a direct client of the law firm or Pressman.
It is an interesting circumstance that only one press colleague told Telex that during his career Pressman did not participate in any work "that would have affected Mikhail Prokhorov or the sanctions brought against him."
Either way, clarifying the situation may be the task of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution (AH). At least that's what István Tényi believes, based on his article published on October 20, the man known for his public interest announcements urged in his submission that the AH subject Pressman to a national security investigation.
Cover photo: David Pressman, Ambassador of the United States in Budapest
Source: AFP/Attila KISBENEDEK
