Bryan E. Leib, who has been rumoured by Magyar Nemzet as the potential next ambassador of the US in Budapest, has taken a swipe at the current US representative in Budapest over the sanctioning of Antal Rogán in a scathing social media post. He writes that what the current ambassador did was "shameful" and, in his opinion, politically motivated.
Leib also wrote that while he cannot speak for Trump, he believes that on 20 January (the day of Donald Trump's inauguration) "we will return to the golden age of US-Hungarian relations".
24.hu also reports that, according to his LinkedIn and X-profile, the Republican Leib runs his own PR firm and is also a senior associate at the Center for Fundamental Rights, linked to the Hungarian government. The newspaper found no trace of this on the Centre's website, but in a previous Facebook post they indeed referred to him as a senior researcher, and this was also how he was referred to on the Hungarian government's official page (Kormány.hu) when he was received by Péter Sztáray, the State Secretary for Security Policy and Energy Security at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, last October.
Rogán and the sanctions
In his post on X, Leib was reacting to the news that Antal Rogán, the Minister in charge of the Hungarian Prime Minister's Office, has been placed on the US Treasury Department's sanctions list over suspected corruption. The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced on 7 January that it was imposing sanctions against Antal Rogán, a senior official in the Hungarian government, for his involvement in corruption. The decision was made pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and targets perpetrators of serious human rights abuse and corruption around the world.
In the statement, Bradley T. Smith, Acting Undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence emphasized the harmful effects of corruption: "Corruption undermines a country’s governing institutions and limits its economic development, providing short-sighted gain to a select few while depriving future generations of longer-term benefit. The United States will not hesitate to hold accountable individuals like Rogan, who use the power of their office to illicitly enrich themselves and their cronies at the expense of their country and their fellow citizens.”
The statement underlines that Antal Rogán is a key figure in the Hungarian government, currently head of the Cabinet Office of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. In addition, his ministry includes several important governmental organisations, such as the National Communications Office, which organises the communication of state institutions and signs framework agreements for communication. The statement here also mentions the Hungarian Tourism Agency, which used to be under Rogán's ministry, but has been under the supervision of the Ministry of National Economy since early 2024.
The Hungarian government was quick to react, calling the move the petty revenge of David Pressman, the departing ambassador of the outgoing Democratic administration. Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó reinforced this narrative, as did, of course, the Fidesz pundit, Zsolt Bayer, who drew a parallel with communism. The Hungarian opposition mostly called for the departure of not just Rogán, but the government as well.
The former ambassador agrees with Leib
David Cornstein, who served as the US ambassador to Budapest during the first Trump administration, also spoke out on the matter, according to MTI. In an interview with the Hungarian public media, he called putting Antal Rogán on the sanctions list a horrible and shameful act. He noted that the current US administration is treating Hungary with hostility "even in the very last hours".
Cornstein explained that it was not only the Biden administration, but also the Obama administration that treated Hungary with hostility, which did not serve the interests of either country. During the Trump administration, however, the two countries established an excellent relationship. He believes that once Trump takes office, cooperation between the two countries will be close and productive again, just as it was during the previous Trump administration.
He added that during Trump's previous term in office, the relationship between the two countries was productive and mutually beneficial, as their shared views on governance, immigration and military priorities led to close ties between the two countries. He also recalled the defence agreement signed under the Trump presidency. Cornstein highlighted Trump's decision to move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and a similar move by Hungary to relocate a diplomatic office.
Cornstein believes that under Trump's next term, cooperation between the two countries will once again flourish and enter its "greatest era". He regretted, however, that there had been no positive developments in US-Hungarian relations under the current Biden administration and expressed disappointment at the "opportunities for cooperation that have been lost."
For more quick, accurate and impartial news from and about Hungary, subscribe to the Telex English newsletter!