Despite Trump’s embrace of Orbán, Senate Republicans sound alarms over Hungary’s democratic backsliding
CNN
If there is one area where senior Senate Republicans have chosen to break with former President Donald Trump, it is his embrace of Hungary’s far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
If there is one area where senior Senate Republicans have chosen to break with former President Donald Trump, it is his embrace of Hungary’s far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. While some members of the GOP have followed Trump’s lead, including those who attended the Conservative Political Action Conference’s third annual meeting in Budapest this year, several powerful Republican senators have been quick to denounce Hungary’s actions on the world stage. Most recently, five of these senators – including Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, a candidate for GOP leader – released a statement expressing their concern with Hungary’s democratic backsliding, as well as its close ties to Russia and China, after visiting Budapest last week. GOP Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas, who led the group, said, “Our delegation and many of our congressional colleagues are increasingly concerned by Hungary’s deepening and expanding relationship with Russia and the continued erosion of its democratic institutions.” He added, “Hungary also continues to disregard the concerns raised by its allies and partners about deepening its ties with China. It is in our shared interest for our countries to work closely together. We urge Hungary to listen to the concerns of its allies and to act on them.” Moran and Cornyn were joined by the top Senate Republican appropriator, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, as well as Sens. John Hoeven of North Dakota and John Boozman of Arkansas.
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