Meanwhile, the European Commission still has not disclosed exactly what NGOs they have funded and with how much money.Continue reading
The Sovereignty Protection Office announced on Thursday that it had uncovered “a system of political corruption that stretches from the USAID, through the European Union, to Hungarian politics and media.”
The Protection Office said in a statement that the 16-page report details “how, through an extensive international network, US public money was transformed from ‘private’ to ‘domestic’ and how these funds were used to influence public opinion on migration, gender, and war in line with Democratic interests.”
As they wrote, USAID (United States Agency for International Development) has “formally allocated $35 million to eight countries in the region for political pressure” under the Central Europe Program (CEP), launched in 2021. However, this amount could have been orders of magnitude higher, as indicated by a statement made by Samantha Power, USAID’s head of the agency, at a Senate hearing in 2023, they noted.
They added: “CEP-backed lobbying organizations have worked to destabilize countries in the region whose governments are perceived by the US deep state as not pursuing policies in line with democratic progressive interests.”
Most of the money went to Hungary and Poland, as the Hungarian and former Polish governments took positions at odds with the Democrat leadership on key policy issues,
they wrote.
The Sovereignty Protection Office revealed that its report highlights that “USAID grants in Hungary have encouraged the activity of political pressure groups, and the beneficiaries overlap significantly with those of George Soros’ Open Society Foundation.”
With the funds obtained, media outlets claiming to be independent have sought to weaken the Hungarian government’s position by thematizing public opinion, preparing partial reports for EU conceptual proceedings against Hungary, and supporting various disinformation narratives,”
they detailed.
The institution noted that “a significant part of the foreign-funded pressure network has come to light, and the Sovereignty Protection Office has uncovered the intermediaries, the organizations distributing the money, and the beneficiaries.” However, the results so far are still incomplete, and the work of Government Commissioner András László may reveal more,” they added.
Via MTI, Featured image: Wikipedia