International and Hungarian media were all abuzz about a Wall Street Journal article published on Wednesday that claimed that the US government “keeps sanctions at the ready” against Hungary. But as I tweeted last night, US Ambassador Cornstein says it’s not true. Here’s what he had to say about it in an interview on Hungarian ATV last night: “Until this morning I didn't know anything about it until I saw an article about it in the Wall Street Journal,” Ambassador Cornstein said. “I can tell you that the United States does not threaten people with sanctions.”
"We impose sanctions or we do not impose sanctions,” the ambassador continued. “But there is no such thing as threatening with sanctions. And that's exactly what this article says, which is why it is false. We have not made any threat that we will take such a step."
The story was another attempt to fling mud at Hungary and diminish the successful outcomes of the meeting on Monday between Prime Minister Orbán and President Trump. But there you have it: fake news.
Photo source: ATV.hu