U.S. lifts sanctions on Hungarian official amid new talks
The United States has removed Antal Rogan, chief of staff to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, from the sanctions list, according to a Reuters report citing information from the U.S. Department of the Treasury's website. Rogan had been subject to American sanctions for corruption under the Magnitsky Act.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke earlier on Tuesday with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto and informed him of the Trump administration's decision regarding Rogan, as stated by Department of State spokesperson Tammy Bruce.
The Treasury Department justified removing him from the list of sanctioned individuals by stating they were "inconsistent with U.S. foreign policy interests." Rubio and Szijjarto also discussed strengthening U.S.-Hungary cooperation on "critical issues" and economic matters, according to Bruce's statement.
In early March, during the first meeting between Rubio and Szijjarto, the Secretary of State promised that he would soon review all measures that "were clearly taken with the intention of political revenge in order to harm Hungary and then harm future Hungarian-American relations." This includes sanctions imposed on Rogan.
Rogan was subjected to sanctions in January this year, before Donald Trump's inauguration. The Treasury Department then stated that the sanctions were a response to the corrupt system he was building, involving the awarding of contracts and public funds to "cronies loyal to himself and the Fidesz political party."
The then U.S. Ambassador to Budapest, David Pressman, issued a statement noting that "for too long, senior government officials in Hungary have used positions of power to enrich themselves and their families, moving significant funds from the public purse into private pockets."
Orban a favorite of Trump supporters
Reuters noted that Rogan has been a close associate of Orban for decades, participating in his election campaigns and being responsible for the "government media machine." Orban himself is a favorite of the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement and enjoys the favor of Trump himself.
In Budapest, conferences for national and far-right conservative circles, CPAC Hungary, are held, essentially a branch of the original CPAC conferences organized in the U.S.
"Orban is a fantastic leader"
Trump, who hosted the Hungarian Prime Minister at Mar-a-Lago, often referred to him as a "fantastic leader," stating "there's nobody that's better, smarter or a better leader than Viktor Orbán."
Washington imposed sanctions on Rogan that included a travel ban and the freezing of all his assets in the U.S. and American banks, under the Global Magnitsky Act, which allows for punishment for corruption and human rights violations.
