What is going on in the US? Intelligence methods used to entrap critics of Viktor Orbán

An investigative article in the New York Times has revealed attempts to link the Hungarian opposition to George Soros. Israeli private intelligence methods were allegedly used to undermine Orbán’s critics, particularly those associated with the Action for Democracy organisation.

The intelligence methods used

Hungarian-born writer Kati Márton, chair of the board of trustees at the Action for Democracy organisation, alleges that she was trapped through a secretly recorded conversation, according to New York Times.

Known for her deeply personal and acclaimed works such as “Enemies of the People”, which recounts her parent’s experience, she thought that the conversation was with a confidant of Wesley Clark, NATO’s former European commander.

The man who presented himself as Clark’s confidant told Márton that he was an investment manager based in Switzerland. The topic of the conversation between the two ought to be about researching green energy prospects in Eastern Europe.

Márton, who is well informed about Hungary’s history and current politics, engaged in the conversation: however, the topic quickly shifted towards Hungary. Six months after the conversation, Márton believes that she was trapped in a sophisticated operation designed to incriminate her and other critics of Viktor Orbán‘s government because, on the 31st of January, portions of a secretly recorded video from the conversation surfaced online. Márton stated that the actions to discredit her mirror her parent’s persecution in the 1950s and feel like she is targeted for her views.

MagaBabe and the leaked video

The user who posted the recorded video was named “MagaBabe”, and the content, which the account released, was extensively edited and released long after the original discussion took place. MagaBabe, who identifies as a Trump supporter from the southern part of the United States, linked the video to Hungarian media outlets like Mandiner, Magyar Nemzet, and others.

These outlets labelled Kati Márton as a “black belt Soros agent” and implicated the founder of Action for Democracy, Dávid Korányi, in the narrative. They portray Korányi as a Brussels agent siphoning funds from Hungary. Some videos feature General Wesley Clark with the interviewer’s voice distorted, where Clark expresses his desire for more American support for the Hungarian left-wing opposition.

The New York Times article suggests that the information is not groundbreaking as George Soros and his affiliated groups have openly supported pro-democracy initiatives in Eastern Europe since the 1980s. While the Hungarian government accuses Soros of meddling in domestic politics, Hungary itself funds initiatives like the Conservative Political Action Committee’s (CPAC) annual Budapest meeting, which is linked to Trump‘s Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.

The conclusion

Brian Liston, an analyst at a cybersecurity firm called Recorded Future, asserts that despite MagaBabe’s authentication on the platform X (formerly Twitter), the account lacks authenticity. Liston cites instances such as the use of a stolen photo of a Swedish model as evidence to prove that it is easy to be authenticated on the platform.

Kati Márton, who was targeted by MagaBabe and the accounts owners, parallels between the operation against her and others involved in Action for Democracy to the tactics of the Israeli cyber company called Black Cube, which had a history of targeting Hungarian activists.

David Pressman, the United States Ambassador to Hungary, expressed concern over Hungary’s intelligence services targeting US citizens but refrained from commenting on the authenticity of the leaked videos.

Read also:

• PM Orbán must win time in Brussels or will lose EUR billions – HERE
• Opposition politicians betrayed Hungarian interests in Brussels? – HERE