Zoltán Kovács, State Secretary for International Relations and Communications, has decried criticism levelled at the Hungarian government in connection with a visit of Fox News host Tucker Carlson to Hungary, and his interview with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
“Why on earth would we pay for an interview? PM Orbán and gov’t get interview requests all the time. The suggestion that there was some quid pro quo is laughable,” Kovács tweeted late on Wednesday. Regarding an agreement with US-based lobbying firm Policy Impact, Kovács said that the contract had expired in 2019. “This is all a matter of public record,” he said. “Here’s an alternative headline: Reporters who slam @TuckerCarlson for being a conspiracist fabricate crazy right-wing conspiracy theory to explain TV personality’s visit to Hungary,” Kovács concluded.