Following the complaints of the American ambassador David Pressman, new sanctions against Hungary were on the horizon, including the cancellation of the visa exemption and, of course, in the meantime, the Democrats will say what and how the Hungarians should do.
David Pressman, the American ambassador in Budapest, met with Democratic federal senator Ben Cardin on Thursday, who then praised the diplomat's work on his X page a statement critical of Hungary , which was seen by Mandiner.
As Cardin put it, Pressman "clearly understands and represents American interests and values in Budapest," including an enduring commitment to democracy, the rule of law, and equal rights.
At the same time, he expressed his "deep concern" regarding the Hungarian government,
"whose officials have repeatedly attacked President Biden and Ambassador Pressman in ways unthinkable for an American ally."
Therefore, as he put it,
"the Biden administration should investigate whether Hungary is really a reliable partner that deserves to participate in the visa waiver program - and, given the level of corruption, whether it is appropriate to initiate sanctions under the Global Magnicky Act".
He also came out sharply against the Hungarian Prime Minister, writing: "In recent days, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has once again proven to be the least reliable member of NATO" with his "unnecessary postponement" of the support to Ukraine ; he also called on our country to "end the obstruction of Sweden's NATO membership".
The democratic politician called the "continuous erosion of democratic norms" alarming.
specifically naming the Sovereignty Protection Act and the related Sovereignty Protection Authority, which, according to him, is a "direct attack on the rights of journalists, civil society, political actors and all those who criticize the Orbán regime", including surveillance, detention, firing and imprisonment .
The mention of the Magnytsky law is noteworthy. On the basis of the Magnytskyi law adopted in 2016
the United States can impose visa bans, asset freezes, and other sanctions against foreign officials it believes are involved in significant corruption.
In other words, this is nothing more than a re-enactment of the former ban scandal, which took place in 2014 with a presidential decree signed by Barack Obama - also citing corruption, the United States denied entry to six unnamed Hungarian civil servants. There was no justification or name: they later admitted that " they do not have any specific data, they obtained their information through the press and the Internet, such as the reports of a news agency and Hungarian press reports".
It is worth noting: Washington recently suspended the possibility of visa-free entry for dual citizens - the vast majority of them Hungarians across the border - also with strange reasons .
Cover photo: David Pressman, Photo: MTI/Szilárd Koszticsák
