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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene

Greene Praises Authoritarian Orban After Election Win In Hungary

The Georgia Republican representative congratulated Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a key ally of Vladimir Putin, on winning another term.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) congratulated Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, an antisemitic and Islamophobic authoritarian who has crushed democracy in his country, controlling elections and the media, on securing another term as prime minister, becoming the latest GOP figure to cozy up to the authoritarian leader.

"Congratulations to Viktor Orban on winning a victory well deserved! He's leading Hungary the right way and we need this in America," Greene tweeted Monday morning, the day after the election victory of Orban, one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's strongest allies, who accuses his opponents of trying to drag Hungary into war in Ukraine.

She also praised Hungary's referendum on banning the teaching of children about gender identity and sexual orientation.

"America should also ban sexually explicit media in sex-ed and all gender change information for minors under 18 intentionally confusing children," added Greene, who has made anti-LGBTQ comments before.

Greene congratulated Orban after he made antisemitic comments and slammed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his victory speech and after reports had emerged that Russian troops have committed war crimes in Ukraine, including the rape and execution of civilians.

Putin, who endorsed Orban's run for reelection right before Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, also congratulated Orban on his victory. "The head of the Russian state expressed confidence that, despite the difficult international situation, the further development of bilateral ties of partnership fully meets the interests of the peoples of Russia and Hungary," the Kremlin said of Orban's victory.

Orban said he had had to overcome "The left at home, the international left all around, the Brussels bureaucrats, the [George] Soros empire with all its money, the international mainstream media, and in the end, even the Ukrainian president" to win the election.

Orban is known for making racist and anti-Semitic comments.

He's demonized Soros, the Hungarian-born Jewish philanthropist and Holocaust survivor who is a target of antisemitic attacks from right-wing leaders in the United States and abroad, blaming Soros for his Hungary's ills. In 2018, in a statement littered with antisemitic tropes, he said: "We are fighting an enemy that is different from us. Not open, but hiding; not straightforward but crafty; not honest but base; not national but international; does not believe in working but speculates with money; does not have its own homeland but feels it owns the whole world."

He's called migrants fleeing Syria to Europe "poison" and "Muslim invaders."

And Orban has revoked broadcast licenses from stations that were critical of his tenure.

"European Union institutions should be alarmed at this continued crackdown on independent media," Human Rights Watch wrote in 2021 of Orban's silencing of opposing voices. "Hungary is already under scrutiny for flouting the EU's democratic principles. But member states have dragged their feet as the situation in Hungary deteriorates."

Greene has echoed some of Orban's rhetoric, attacking immigrants, spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories, and parroting Putin's lies about Ukraine being filled with "neo-Nazis."

Greene also tried to launch a white supremacist caucus within Congress to preserve "Anglo-Saxon political traditions" and warned that immigration risked the United States' "unique identity." She scrapped the idea after backlash.

And she's not the only voice on the American right that has supported or praised Orban.

Former President Donald Trump endorsed Orban in January, calling the authoritarian a "strong leader" who has "done a powerful and wonderful job in protecting Hungary, stopping illegal immigration, creating jobs, trade, and should be allowed to continue to do so in the upcoming election."

In 2019, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) called Orban a "patriot" who "demonstrates the values of Western civilization and democracy, sovereignty, and self-determination."

And Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who defended Putin's invasion of Ukraine at its start, made an anti-Semitic and fawning documentary about Orban called "Hungary vs. Soros: The Fight for Civilization."

Observers have warned of the danger to American democracy of Republicans like Trump who say they want to adopt some of Orban's anti-democratic measures.

"Trump wants to do here what Orban has done in Hungary: weaken democratic institutions, curb press freedom, and rewrite election laws to entrench his own party's power," Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) tweeted in January. "The threat to our democracy could not be clearer, and we must act boldly to protect it."

Published with permission of The American Independent.

Acting DNI Grenell Worked Secretly For Hungary’s Far-Right Regime

Acting DNI Grenell Worked Secretly For Hungary’s Far-Right Regime

Reprinted with permission from Responsible Statecraft.

President Trump’s newly installed acting Director of National Intelligence, Richard Grenell, knowingly provided public relations services directed at U.S. media on behalf of a project funded by Hungary’s far-right government, according to an investigation published byResponsible Statecraft. While working for Hungary, Grenell didn’t register as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA), which is a requirement applying to individuals and entities operating inside the U.S. as an “agent” of a “foreign principal.”

Grenell’s appointment as acting Director of National Intelligence, which was announced last week, was met with widespread ridicule and disbelief. 

“President Trump selected an unqualified loyalist as his top spy,” said  International Institute for Strategic Studies senior fellow Jonathan Stevenson in a New York Times op-ed. 

“Mr. Grenell, who currently serves as ambassador to Germany, is manifestly unqualified for the job, even in an acting capacity,” the Washington Post editorial board said. “He has no experience in intelligence or in managing large organizations – like the 17 agencies that will now report to him.”

Craig Engle, Grenell’s attorney, told Responsible Statecraft that Grenell “knew that the Hungarian government was the sponsor” of work he undertook, but claimed that Grenell’s activities did not require him to file under FARA.

According to the Justice Department, activities requiring registration as an “agent” to a “foreign principal” includes engaging in “acts within the United States as a public relations counsel, publicity agent, information-service employee or political consultant for or in the interests of such foreign principal.”

Last Friday, ProPublica reported that Grenell took undisclosed payments for advocacy work on behalf of Vladimir Plahotniuc, a Moldovan politician who was later accused of corruption. Engle told ProPublica that Grenell was not required to file under the FARA because “he was not working at the direction of a foreign power.”

Grenell’s history as a Twitter troll and political operative is well documented, but his work for foreign entities and governments has largely gone unreported. 

In 2009, Grenell founded Capitol Media Partners (CMP), a public relations firm with offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Washington, DC. 

Grenell and CMP’s’ work for the Magyar Foundation of North America, a group that describes itself as “promoting Magyar heritage, history, and pride through educational, social and cultural programs,” was detailed following a freedom of information request filed with the Hungarian government by a Hungarian investigative reporting outlet.

That outlet, Atlatszo, reported in 2018 that Magyar was funded by Hungary’s right-wing nationalist government, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Magyar’s attorney, who also happens to be Craig Engle, confirmed to Responsible Statecraft in an email that the group employed Grenell, saying:

“Your question about the Magyar Foundation was referred to me  (I was its legal counsel).

“Ric was the media relations consultant to Magyar. The Foundation engaged in a series of academic and cultural and fine arts – and several religious-themed – programs. The Foundation sought out Ric to help us get coverage of these events, especially with the press that covered foreign affairs. Ric wasn’t listed on any FARA report since the Foundation did not engage in FARA-related activity. (That was done in a separate contract by a lobbyist).”

The Magyar Foundation’s work included funding two academics at Pepperdine University to study Hungary and U.S.-Hungary relations, building a database of Hungarian-Americans, conducting promotion of Hungary with a “Win a Trip to Hungary contest,” and conducting social media campaigns, according to descriptions of a three-year, $7 million grant to the Magyar Foundation from the government of Hungary obtained by Atlatszo.

The Magyar Foundation contracted “public relations” work to Grenell’s CMP. The Magyar Foundation’s 2017 financial disclosures show CMP received $103,750.

Engle told Responsible Statecraft in a separate email that he couldn’t comment on a 2013 archived version of CMP’s website that lists a map of Somalia and Zaland, “a subsidiary of Ariana Afghanistan Television,” as “clients,” but he confirmed that Grenell knew he was doing work for Magyar on behalf of the Hungarian government.” Engle wrote:

“Eli – your email with questions was forwarded to me (I am Rics (sic) lawyer and am familiar with his work).

“I can’t answer your questions about Zalan and Somalia, but I can answer the question about the Magyar Foundation of North America. Ric was a consultant to the foundation to help it get press attendance at its cultural and academic events across the country. Yes, Ric knew that the Hungarian government was the sponsor [emphasis added]. Ric has not filled under FARA because his work doesn’t qualify as registerable (sic) activity. (Hungary’s FARA related work was performed by a lobbyist under a separate contract).”

Documents acquired by Atlatszo’s freedom of information request to Hungary’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade reveals more about what the Hungarian government paid Magyar and Grenell to do, tasks that appear very similar to the Justice Department’s definition of “acts within the United States as a public relations counsel” on behalf of a foreign principal, requiring FARA registration.

A grant report from the Magyar Foundation to the Hungarian government describes how the organization worked toward “our goals of enhancing relations between Hungary and America by promoting Hungarian culture and contributions and engaging Hungarian Americans in our mission.”

In the grant report, Magyar promoted its influence with U.S. politicians and policymakers saying it “boasts over 175 years of experience and long-standing established professional relationships with American opinion leaders, academics, elected and government officials, and the media.”

And the report to the Hungarian government directly referenced that Magyar hired Grenell’s firm.

“The Foundation hired Capitol Media Partners, an international communications and public affairs firm to liaison to the foreign press to promote our events in Washington, D.C.,” Magyar reported.

The foundation spelled out CMP’s role in directing media to the Hungarian government-funded project, writing, “[Magyar Foundation], through both in-house communications staff and expert communications consultants, Capitol Media Partners and Justin Wilson, contacted over 50 media outlets to promote [Magyar Foundation] events and secure national media attendance,” for an event held at the National Press Club.

The report’s emphasis on influencing U.S. media and gaining access to U.S. politicians offers a clear indication that Magyar was marketing influence and access in Washington to Hungary’s government.

CMP’s website never listed the Magyar Foundation as a client and the client list section of the website is now removed.

An archived version from 2018 of Grenell’s personal website said, “Grenell has worked with clients based in the U.S. as well as Iran, Kazakhstan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, China, Australia, Timor-Leste, and throughout Europe.” Grenell’s website has also been removed.

Grenell’s Executive Branch Public Financial Disclosure Report, filed in 2017, reveals another foreign client, the Prague Freedom Foundation, a nonprofit based in Prague that “promote[s] freedom of the press and encourage[s] independent journalism.”

CMP and Grenell did not provide clarification to Responsible Statecraft regarding their other foreign clients, what that work entailed, and whether that work required the company and/or Grenell to file under FARA.

Responsible Statecraft is a publication of analysis, opinion, and news that seeks to promote a positive vision of U.S. foreign policy based on diplomatic engagement and military restraint. It is a project of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.

Trump Praises Hungary’s Anti-Semitic, Dictatorial Orban As ‘Like Me’

Trump Praises Hungary’s Anti-Semitic, Dictatorial Orban As ‘Like Me’

here he goes again …

Trump on Monday praised yet another authoritarian leader who has cracked down on democratic values in his home country.

“You’re respected all over Europe,” Trump told Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban during a photo-op in the Oval Office. “Probably like me a little bit controversial, but that’s OK, that’s OK. You’ve done a good job and you’ve kept your country safe.”

Let’s break down what “a little bit controversial” means.

Orban is anti-Semitic, using anti-Semitic tropes against Jewish philanthropist George Soros, and is trying to whitewash Hungary’s role in the Holocaust. And the president welcomed Orban as Trump himself is twisting words of Democratic members of Congress to try to accuse them of being anti-Jewish.

Orban has also cracked down on the free press in his country and has demanded funding from the European Union to build a fence between his country and Serbia to “[protect] all the citizens of Europe from the flood of illegal migrants.”

Orban’s visit has drawn bipartisan condemnation, with members of Congress against the optics of welcoming an authoritarian leader to the White House.

“Prime Minister Orban represents so many things that are antithetical to core American values,” reads a letter sent by 10 Democratic members of Congress to Trump on May 9, urging him not to meet with Orban. “He has overseen a rollback of democracy in his country, used anti-Semitic and xenophobic tropes in his political messaging, and cozied up to Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin.”

“He also has suppressed independent media and academic freedom in an effort to consolidate his increasingly autocratic rule,” the Democratic members of Congress wrote. “It troubles us to see the president of our country, which has historically supported the protection and promotion of democracy and human rights worldwide, meeting with a ban who so regularly disregards these values.”

Of course, Trump loves to praise dictatorial strongmen.

He congratulated Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan for an undemocratic power grab and has praised murderous Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte for his extrajudicial killings.

That’s not to mention Trump’s coziness with violent and oppressive North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, whom he has called a friend, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is openly hostile to democratic values and has attacked the United States’ bedrock value of free and fair elections.

In Orban, Trump admitted he sees a lot of himself.

And that’s a big self-own given that Orban is an anti-Semitic autocrat who wants to tamp down democracy.

Published with permission of The American Independent.

Europe’s Far Right Is Propagandizing The Brussels Bombing

Europe’s Far Right Is Propagandizing The Brussels Bombing

Following the attacks in Brussels, Belgium that killed at least 30 people and injured many more, EU heads of state issued a joint statement condemning the attacks and reinforcing “European values and tolerance from the attacks of the intolerant.”

Yet while the European Council urged members to “be united and firm in the fight against hatred, violent extremism and terrorism,” right-wing party leaders around Europe used the attacks to justify and extend their xenophobic platforms.

 

In Austria, according to the Wall Street Journal, Heinz-Christian Strache, who serves as one of the leaders of the far right Austrian Freedom Party (FPO), responded to the attacks by saying “[These attacks highlight why] irresponsible mass immigration from the Arab world must be ended once and for all.”

Austrian anti-discrimination organization ZARA has said racism in Austria is higher than ever, with 1201 reported and recorded xenophobic attacks.

With roots dating back to the 1800s, the Freedom Party advocates against EU integration. In the midst of the uncertainty and unrest over Europe’s migration crisis, the FPO managed to win 30 percent of votes in September’s local elections, and sustained that victory in October’s general elections.  

 

In the wake of the Paris terror attacks, France’s far-right party, Front National, aggressively pushed their anti-EU, closed border platform, to huge success: In France’s December election, Front National won a record six million votes in the first round.

After the Brussels bombings, party leader Marine Le Pen made a statement to a Canadian crowd after attending meetings in Quebec:

“We need to take seriously the criminal networks of Islamic fundamentalists that exist in our countries… I’ve maintained this position in France for months. And I will repeat the same thing everywhere I go… I don’t get the sense that Islamic fundamentalism is being treated like the threat it really is. And just like I saw in France in the past, here in Canada, whoever condemns Islamic fundamentalism is accused of Islamophobia.”

Marie Le Pen has been impugned for “thinly veiled racist positions” — positions her father, Jean-Marie, pioneered without any veil — and has been outspoken about the deterioration of French society at the hands of multiculturalism.

 

Under Chancellor Angela Merkel’s leadership, Germany has been incredibly welcoming of refugees. After a video of Germans congregating to warmly welcome the first round of refugees, the world began to look to Germany, and in particular Chancellor Merkel, as a beacon of strength amid global disequilibrium.

But in September 2015, when Deutschland Trend conducted a public opinion poll to measure Germans’ opinions towards the resettlement, results showed that German support for migrants had decreased since Merkel’s initial announcement, and Merkel’s approval ratings had plummeted, with one in two Germans believing that Merkel acted inappropriately.

Germans’ growing discontent with Chancellor Merkel and the Christian Democratic Party have yielded a rise in nationalistic sentiment and right-wing politics.

The right wing Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) — with slogan “Asylum requires borders – Red card for Merkel” — has benefited from increasingly resentment towards Merkel’s Christian Democratic Party.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the migrant crisis has fueled support for the anti-immigration AfD party, and recent public opinion polls show support for the AfD rising while approval for Merkel’s Christian Democratic party decreases.

In the wake of the Brussel attacks, the Alternative Fur Deutschland leader Frauke Petry said “The dream of a colorful Europe is dead, bombed away yet again… Finally accept it. It is time for change!”

 

In the Netherlands, Geert Wilders of the Dutch Freedom Party (PVV) has suggested that Europe should close its borders to Muslims to avoid the “Islamic invasion.”

The PVV advocates for strong assimilation into Dutch culture, and prides itself on being Eurosceptic. With many Dutch dissatisfied with the European Union’s agreement to resettle refugees, the PVV is building a base in Holland.

In fact, according to public opinion polls, the PVV has attracted such a strong following that it could win an election immediately. In a statement issued to Breitbart London, Wilders claimed:

“It is time to act. First of all, we must close our national borders and detain all the jihadists whom we have foolishly allowed to return from Syria. We must also tell people the truth. The cause of all this bloodshed is Islam. We need to de-Islamize the West. That is the only way to safeguard our lives and protect our freedom.”

In a later interview with Breitbart, Wilders continued to denounce the attacks by saying:

“I fear that we ain’t seen nothing yet. According to Europol 3,000 to 5,000 European jihadists, who went to Syria to fight in the ranks of IS and similar terrorist groups, have meanwhile returned to Western Europe. Some of them hid among the hundreds of thousands of Islamic asylum seekers that entered Europe from Asia and Africa… Two of last November’s terrorist in Paris had fought in Syria. So had the terrorist who, last August, attempted to attack the high speed train between Amsterdam and Paris. So had the two terrorists who, in January 2015, massacred the editorial staff of Charlie Hebdo. So had the terrorist who, in May 2014, shot four people at the Jewish Museum in Brussels.”

European Commissioner Hermann Kelly, commented that “[it] is amazing to me that these people can kill people abroad, come here, and then walk free in the centre of Brussels.”

In response to Kelly’s observations,  Wilders said “Returned Syria fighters are a huge threat. They are dangerous predators roaming our streets. It is absolutely unbelievable that our governments allow them to return. And it is incredible that, once returned, they are not imprisoned… In the Netherlands, we have dozens of these returned jihadists. Our government allows most of them to freely walk our streets and refuses to lock them up. I demand that they be detained at once. Every government in the West, which refuses to do so, is a moral access have pushed for closed borders if one of these monsters commits an atrocity.”

Wilders is one of many European leaders that have pushed for closed borders in the wake of recent tragedies.

In addition to his public interviews, Wilder tweeted:

“If I become Dutch Prime Minister next year, I’ll crush Islamic terrorism, close our national borders, and De-Islamize The Netherlands. #nomore”

A few hours later, Wilder posted another tweet that directly blamed Islam for the attacks:

“What are the causes of all these terror attacks?

Islam

Islam

Islam

#StopIslam”

 

Hungary, like many European countries, responded to the migrant crisis with increased nationalistic sentiments.

According to the Hungarian government’s website, the Orban government sent Hungarians a questionnaire to gage their opinions about the migrant crisis. However, economics professor Gyorgy Malovics explained that the questionnaire was framed in nationalistic terms, as it included warnings of Hebdo-style killings and reminders of Hungarian pride.

NPR reports that over one million Hungarians responded to the survey, and the results have been used to justify Hungary’s strictly anti-migrant policies.

According to Express, Orban’s government commissioned the construction of a 110 foot wall along its shared border with Serbia in order to keep migrants out of Hungary.

Yet Orban’s hardline stance was not enough for some Hungarians. The Jobbik Party is even farther to the right, and 20 percent of Hungarians supported them in April elections, a huge increase in support.

Although support for Jobbiks has decreased since April, it should be noted that they were the ones that proposed the fence as well as the military deployment that followed.

Following yesterday’s attacks, Hungarian Foreign Minister stated that “There is no doubt that illegal migration is behind the rise in terror threat”

Representatives from the Orban government responded to the attacks by saying “We’ve said many times: [the] EU have to fully stop illegal migration,

 

As Italy’s Prime Minister Matteo Renzi agreed to European Union demands to accept refugees amidst funding threats, the Italian public began shifting in favor of the Northern League, which boasts a strong anti-immigrant record.

Northern League leaders Gian Marco Centinaio and Massimiliano Fedriga commented to the Wall Street Journal:

“We are astonished and heartbroken for the lives broken by Islamic hate. We aren’t responding, the E.U. institutions are weak, fragile, helpless and are turning the other way, allowing these massacres.”

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Northern League has also called for the closure of Mosques.

Photo: Belgian troops on patrol in cenral Brusselsl following Tuesday’s bomb attacks in Brussels, Belgium, March 23, 2016. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler