"Proud to be among the first to be dragged through the mud"-Orbán's former press advisor speaks up

Viktor Orbán’s former press advisor Fanny Kaminski has spoken up after the Prime Minister’s Office, led by Bálint Ruff had filed a complaint relating to the contracts about Viktor Orbán’s social media accounts. The complaint was filed against an unknown perpetrator after reviewing the former prime minister’s most recent contracts with her company relating to managing his social media profiles, which came to a total of 4 billion forints (around €11 million) in public funds over several years.

Kaminski, whose company was awarded the contract without a public procurement process, wrote on Facebook that her company, Triton Communications, had carried out all tasks assigned to it under the contract and could provide a detailed account of the work performed.

According to her, the government has made several insinuations concerning the matter, which paint a misleading picture of their work, so she would like to set the record straight on a few facts. She wrote that Triton Communications’ contractual obligations didn’t merely consist of taking photographs and videos. The company developed and operated the Prime Minister’s website and also provided graphic design and other communication services.

She added that being on call 24/7 was also part of the contract. According to her, this didn't mean occasional tasks, but rather constantly being on standby and reacting straight away when needed. Kaminski confirmed that the payment increased over the four years, but she said the government failed to mention that this was to keep pace with inflation. She further argued that it is also misleading to emphasize that Triton Communications only had five full-time employees, because the work actually involved more than 30 people in total.

Fanny Kaminski accepts that the new government is reviewing its predecessor’s contracts. “However, I refuse to accept that in the process, they are trying to cast suspicion on a law-abiding Hungarian company by using cherry-picked figures, omitting facts, and using misleading insinuations,” she stated. As a postscript, she added: “I’m proud to be among the first to be dragged through the mud. Thanks, Bálint! 🫶”