US President Joe Biden has announced his intent to nominate David Pressman to serve as the next ambassador to Hungary. The 45-year-old human rights lawyer is a New York University graduate, and currently a partner at the New York law firm Jenner & Block. He has deep ties to the US Democratic Party and several Hollywood stars such as George Clooney. If the Senate approves Pressman’s nomination, the United States will have an appointed ambassador in Budapest again after nearly two years.
Since David Cornstein’s resignation on September 15, 2020, the United States has not had an ambassador to Hungary, but this may soon change. Cornstein was appointed by former President Donald Trump. Now, the Senate has yet to approve Pressman’s nomination. Currently, it is Marc Dillard who is the Chargé d’Affaires, a.i.
David Pressman, 45, has deep ties to the Democratic Party. During the Obama Administration, from 2014 until 2017, he was the United States Ambassador to the United Nations for Special Political Affairs. He negotiated on the many threats to international peace and security, in particular those affecting Europe, Russia, East Asia and the Pacific, and Africa, reports Portfolio. He also served as a press lead for the Clinton Administration.
He has advised a number of highly prominent individuals on foreign policy and related advocacy strategies. In 2008, the Los Angeles Times referred to him as George Clooney’s “consigliere.” With Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, and Jerry Weintraub, he co-founded Not On Our Watch Project, a leading advocacy and grant-making organization focused on raising awareness about mass atrocities. He also served as the Director for War Crimes and Atrocities on the National Security Council at the White House, where he coordinated the gvernment’s efforts to prevent and respond to mass atrocities, genocide, and war crimes. Pressman was a member of President Obama’s Atrocities Prevention Board and served as the assistant secretary of Homeland Security responsible for policy development on global criminal justice issues at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Pressman is currently a partner at the law firm of Jenner & Block where he represents clients in national security and human rights related litigation.
Featured image via Samuel Corum/MTI/EPA/Bloomberg
