Received by Registration Unit 06/30/2017 9:45:35 AM 8 TO: FROM: Hon. Connie Mack DATE: 6/28/17 SUBJECT: Brief on-Hu?ngary' On July 20th, 2016, Prime Minister Orban became the ?rst and only European Head of State to publicly endorse Donald Trump for President of the United States. In his speech, PM Orban remarked that he Was swayed byithe security proposals outlined in President Trump?s aCceptan'ce speech as the Republican Party?s nominee. Other highlights of Orban?s initial speech include: 0 ?He (Donald Trump) would be the better one (candidate) fOr Europe and for Hungary.? i - '0 listened to the candidate and I must tell you he made three proposals to combat terrorism. I And as a European I could have hardly articulated better what Europe needs.? Read More The map below clearly demOnstrate's Hungary?s support for the Trump Administration: Wme Trump Preiened us presidential candidates among 51128 Suns-nus Hilary a Sweats Donald Trump ?4 slates . '75 i 1 . . Stance. Emmerm 5mm en rm were. Bloomberg a This materief is distributed by 5? Group LLC an hehalfaf the Government af?ungary. Additional irifdnn'dtian is awi?nbl'e at the Dedartmient ofJusl'ice, Washington; DC Received by Registration Unit 06/30/2017 9:45:35 AM- Received by ARA Registration Unit 9:45:35 AM Orba'n? 5 support of President Trump continues. In fact, earlier this year, the Prime Minister defended President Trumps refugee policy at a gathering of EU Heads of State and Government stating:- Esp-312017; sans?tiri?YalsttarMalta: - -o am surprised to observe the neurotic reactions criticizing the decision Of the United States? [to tempOrarily ban citizens of?certain countries from entering the 0 ?The United States is not a member of the European Union; it is an independent state and as such has the right to determine its own border, foreign. and migration policies.? I .) this is Something the United States has a right to do .) It makes absolutely no difference What we think abolitt this-,- it isn Europe? 5 business. (. . .) We should be concentrating on ourSelves and should be dealing with our own problems instead of criticizing the United States.? Orban?s Hungary is committed to strengthening relations and cooperation. They are ?interested in a Strong Hungary in a strong Europe? and are extremely optimistic about the prospect of WOrking With the Trump administration and a GOP-controlled congress to. accomplish this. Additional PM Viktor Orban?s comments supporting the Trump Administration 0 Mar 9, 2017? Doorstep Statement befOre meeting of the European Council 0 Ian 23 IeIethI at the Lamfaluss Conference .) I think that last week we heard a key sentence, and we must take this key phrase s?rioUst. if We understand this COr'reCtly, we shall understand everything that follows. This key phrase is not the one quoted by most people ?America Fir-st? but this: ?it is the right of all nations to put their own interests first?. This represents a great change; These words could not have come from an earlier US president, but. now they have - comefrorn this president. This means that the era of multilateralism is at an end, and the eraof bilateral relations is upon us.- For us this is good news, beCause it is an unnatural state of affairs when, influenced by external pressure, one dare not state that one?s oWn country comes ?rst when governing, making decisions, or considering what the'centr-al bank should do. This unnatural state of affairs is at an end, and we have been g?iVen permission, if you like, from the world?s highest secular position, that we, too, can plaCe Our interests fit-St. This is a great thing, it is a great freedom and a great gift '0 I15 H_uIn Irian newsiandIIo iIniIoIn. -.hu interview-:- I ?Therein lies the kinship with the US President-elect. You can sense this same self-made marl mentality 1.11 him [as 1n 191682] 0' ?I?ve spoken to a true American. (.. .) We found a common voice. This is unusual in politics, especially with the leader of a great power.? I Nov 9 .2016? Facebook pOst following the US elections 3. 0 ?Congratulations. Iwihat great news. Democracy is still alive.? Received by ARA Registration Unit 06/30/2017 9:45:35 AM Received by Registration Unit 06f30f2017 9:45:35 AM 0 I111 23I 2016 Speech at the 27th B?lv'?r?iyos Summer Op en University and Camp;- . .o am not Donald Trump?s campaign manager. Ihad never thOught that it would seem to me that, of the candidates on offer, he would, after all,-be- the best - option for Europe and Hungary. I would never have thought so. But I have listened to that candidate, and I have to say that he made three proposals for curbing terrorism. And, as a European, I myself could hardly have given a better analysis of what Eur-0pc needs.? QM following the speech: 0 ?First of all, let me say in the context of this whole migration affair that now that I listened to the speeches of the American presidential candidates, one of the American presidential candidates, it became clear to us, or to me, that the outcome of the American presidential election is not at all indifferent for us.- The Republican presidential candidate said yesterday that immigration is a 'bad thing and it must be stopped; no one can enter America who does not respect the American values, who does not subject himself to the lam, and does not accept the customs they have, Those who fail to do these things should not .?come, and that is that this is clear talking; we are used to ?ner speech in high politics, but that does not change the essence of it all. The situation is that one of the main supporters of the pressure of immigration that is weighing heaVy upon Hungary is the United States. Partly through its of?cial policy; President Obama spoke about this openly at the NATO summit. Everyone who is opposed to immigration was classi?ed as a bad guy -'there I sat. lying low not indifferent who will be the prospective President of the United States, what he or she thinks about immigration, and this will determine our lives. I do not criticize the. Americans; I just want to make clear that what is right: in their View destroys us, andl therefOre cannot endorse it. 0 So ?rst of all, I would like to say that the presidential election- in the United States of America is relevant to Europe?s immigration policy and the future of the situation of Hungary,? 5H Group LU: Street. NW Ste 835 \?i?iishingl:?LDC (if) :mni (ENE) 68-1-3035 _1Cm'11]. 239-831-5377 Received by Registration Unit 06/30/2017 9:45:35 AM Received by Registration Unit 0680/2017 9:45:36 AM 5' INTERNATIONAL. m- GROUP Assertions in H. RES. 353 - The draft resolution states that it aims to support the relatidnship betWeen Hungary and the US. This goal IS shared by Hungary Our relations must be based on mutual respect and dialogue, but nOt on one- -sided public condemnation. The Hungarian Parliament has neVer adopted a resolution condemning the US for any reason. The draft contains a laundry list of criticisms that are moot, unsubstantiated andfor factually incorrect. The draft refers to Prime Minister Viktor OrbanI? speech in 2014 on the shortcomings of liberal ideas The allegation is erroneously interpreted to mean the endOrSeni'en't of an authoritarian system, because the qUOte is taken out. of context. The actual quote is: We had to state that ademocraq?: does not necessariiy have to be liberal. Just because a state is not liberal,- it can still be a Hungary? 3 citizens are expecting Hangary? leaders to ?nd, formulate and forge a new method of Hungarian state organisation that, following the Iibera! state and the era of libero! democracy and while of course respecting the values of Christianity, freedom and human rights, can again make Ithe Hungarian community The PM did n_ot refer t_o Russia. as his model. The resolution relies on negative statements about Hungary as proof, and later criticizes the NGO bill. Many NGOS, including those listed, also criticize the US, whiCh does not justify passing resolutions critical of each other, as that 1s not conducive to fostering a good relationship. The criticism of the NGO bill is moot, as the law adopted contained amendments re?ecting comments received by the Hungarian lawmakers. The bill was not based upon the Russian Foreign Agent Law. Unlike. the Russian or Israeli law or the US FARA Act, it. does not label organizations as ?foreign agents". Hungaryis law requires transparency, whether funding is received from the US, Russia er the Middle East. US organizations, including charities, are also required to disclose their funding sources and are prohibited from lobbying. In Hungary, the latter is not the Case. The legislative intent of the law was recognized as legitimate by the Venice Commission. Furthermore, the modifications proposed by the Venice Commission, with the exception of two, were incorporated in the law. The law exempts sport, minority and religious organizations from the scope of the act, but this should be Considered as pos'it'i?Ve and not negative.- The law requires other organizations to publicly identify their status. How can this be construed to silence independent civil society organizations? The law does. not require. the dissolution of organlzatlons as a penalty . The resolution claims that the Hungarian government suppresses free speech at universities. A review by the Hungarian Education Authority revealed irregularities in the operation of numerous foreign universities in Hungary. The amendment of the Act on Higher Education '1 his. material 1'1. diarihated by EU Group Ll .th brha??aflhe Catamaran; off-Maggy. Additiom! iajiamatim is cymbal: at the ofjmatr, Warbingraa, DC Received by ARA Registration Unit 0680/2017 9:45:36 AM Received by ARA RegistratiOn Unit 06/300017 9:45:36 AM addresses those problems. There are three American universities affected, and the Government is in negotiations with two of the States, while preparation for the third is in progress. The political campaign of CEU in the US is mis1eading. The future of Egyetern in Hungarian; operating in Budapest) is not in danger.-ACcreditation and agreement, just as with all other universiwties is also necessary for CEU, so that it may also issue American diplomas. We disagree that, free speech or academic freedom 15 violated by the new Hungarian law, as those requirements are already the law in many other EU Member States. The resolution alleges human rights violations' in the treatment of illegal migrants. The claim is unsubstantiated. Hungary closed its green border and set up'transit centers to curb illegal migration and implement the Schengen requirements, which it- is obligated to do, and in order to provide security for Europe. The meaSUres are similar to these in the tvvo DHS memoranda of February '20, 2017 on. BOrder Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements Policies and. Immigration Law Before the e'StLablishment 0f the tra'l?ISit centers in Hengary. immigrants submitted a request for asylum and, prior 'to'adjudication, most departed to unknown destinations in Europe. Perp?etrators of tenorist attacks have taken advantage of this weakness in the system to enter the EU. Children are kept in the tranSit centers, so they are not separated from their families- The average duration of the process is..33 days. The resolution claims that opposition newspaper 'Nepszabadsag was closed due to political pressures. The newspaper had been 1n the red _fOr many years (as 15 the case with many newspapers in the new IT age) and its Austrian owners decided not to bankroll it further. There was no Government or Media Authority involVement that business decision. Media Authority can revoke licenses for minor infractions without due process. Could anybody cite just one case when such revocation actually-happened? Politicians regularly ?le defamation charges against journalists. Yes, such actions are taken by all sides of the political spectrum. Legal defamation actions are and may be filed 1n many democracies. The law pretects both the freedom of expression and the personal rights of individuals, including politicians. How is an individual's request for judicial redresS a form of government repression of media freedom? - Received by Registration Unit 0660/2017 9:45:36 AM Received by Registration Unit 06/301?2017 9:45:38 AM 1 INTERNATIONAL GROUP TO: FROM: Hon. Connie Mack DATE: 6/28/17 SUBJECT: Fiona Hill Backgrounder Soon after taking office, President Trunip tapped Ms. Fiona Hill to serve on the National Security Council staff as the Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European and Russian Affairs. Before mining the administration, Ms. Hill was a Senior Fellow Director of the Center on the United States and Europe at the left-leaning Brookings Institution.- On her CV. Ms. Hill also lists the fact that she is a Member of the Central Eurasia Project Advisory Board, a sub- organization of George Soros? Open Society Institute based in New York City. Additionally, Ms.- Hill served as the Adviser to the President of the Eurasia Foundation from 2000-2005, another organization with close connections to the Soros network outlined below. As I am sure you are aware, the Open Society Institute was first established by George 'Soros in 1993 in NYC and is- one of the many organizations that operate under the umbrella of his Open Society Foundations. This network encompasses foundations, offices, initiatives, and grantees in more than 60 countries and regions all over the world. According to the Open Society Foundations website, the Open Society Institute and the international offices of the Open Society Institute, such as the one located in Budapest, ?provide ?nancial, and technical support to the Soros foundations and also operate OSI initiatives, which address speci?c issues on a regional or network- wide basis, and other independent programs.? The Eurasia Foundation is a Washington? ?ba_sed non-pro?t group that is supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and other public and private donors. While the Eurasia. Foundation receives the majority of Its funding from USAID through multi? ?year core grants, their 2002 Annual Report outlined the foundations ability to attract other funding from corporations as well as other foundations and institutions. They state, ?until 2002, these multilateral and public?private partnerships were primarily f0cused on programs in Russia and Ukraine. They are now being expanded in response to new opportunities in Other regions. For example, in the Caucasus alone, NorWay, Switzerland, the Open Society Institute, and the World Bank have I provided ?nancial support for a wide variety of grant programa? - The Open Society Institthe Budapest acts as the administrative and operational headquarters for a number of Open Society initiatives. The of?ce also provides administrative, ?nancial and technical support to other parts of the Open Society Foundations. On'their website they state, ?The Open Society Institute - Budapest is located in? the Central European University complex, and its programs often share reso'urCes with the university.? - bl (i :rnup ITHU Ix 51mm, NW 82:1\X:s1 hingn I1. IX .cnui Phone: [202) (uh-121035 33-9 33?? Received by Registration Unit 06/30/2017 9:45:38 AM ReCeived by ARA Registration'Unit 06/30/2017 9:45:38 AM After considering the information outlined above, it is clear that the liker source of hostility'tthards Hungary coming from within the U. S. foreign policy apparatus is Fiona Hill Her connections to the Soros network, speci?cally the Open Society Institute and Eurasia Foundation, have clearly in?uenced her opinion and by extension, the behavior of the State Departrnent Therefore, we must continue to shine a light on the far-reaching network of George Soros in order to continually degrade his international in?uence. TM: material is distributed by 5? Group 116 an Wife} the Government onyngary. Addittb'nal infahnatr?a?n is available at the Department ofjum're, Washihgtan, DC Received by Registration Unit . 06/30/2017 Received by NSDIFARA Registration Unit 06/30/2017 9:45:37 AM I 1? INTERNATIONAL . COMPARATIVE TABLE LEGISLATION OF RUSSIA, ISRAELAND HUNGARY GOVERNING-N605 Noti?cation required a IIN . otiflcation required The 'fee for theiomutahiNGO) tax .oi: fee; for registration is 942- ice. $270) registration . ?IfOnly foreign? nationals andI No differentiation between No differentiation between. stateless persons that legally}; foreign nationals and Israeli foreign natiOna?ls and Hungarian I reside in the territory of Russia citizens, eireryone? entitled to citizens, everyone? 5 entitled to a are entitled to act as NGOI establish an NGO. -, I establish an NGO. . mihasicaliy the semi -1 . If - .an- NGO received any funds Only entities ._with foreign funds I .Only? entities with. foreign- ._funds I fhom abroad, it is considered a: amounting to half of the total. over HUF7 .1 . - . -- reirenues__ according to the l?aSt according to the. last ?scal year .. .- - - i" scal year are withih the scope of are within the scope of the I I the legislation. i legislation. (There was a case where foreign funds almourItedp to .a mere 12-5 . r? a Isimiiar? prepor'tlona .- . .- i As'soon as the annual amount 'of. I nanciai threshold means s'rnalle .j . i jg foreign funds gets this areincludedj. . number? the NGO: Is no longer . . I I considered foreign-funded I "in; the In question was closed .. . . . . . mi mm! :3 gamma :9 Si .1 Group-I1 r; on may?. comm: qfi-irmgagy. AM'i?ianaf ir?moir'm I: am?nbfe a! the [Want quma?sr, Warbi?ngiwr, DC Received by NSDIFARA Registration Unit 06/30/2017 9:45:37 AM Received by Registration Unit 06/30/2017 9:45:37 AM register as 'foreig'n agents'. fifbr?igm If'un'ded 605' They? need to indicate the fact of- - .- foreign funding- in their II - Ipubiications -_.andi_ 'their' on Websites. Fereigneiu?nde'd in Russian meet] to report on; their politiIIcalI - activities quarterly NGOs and their members needI'tIo abroad are only required to officials N605 primarily financed -.fr0mI conspicuously indicate this fact at their I_place'_ of I :emplovm?ent. . .. NGOSI that to meet the {Iforeign legai obIIgatIons _cahf be _?r'f'und'ed N605 I terminated I Immediately, without prioriegai procedures or preliminary feIeForeignef'unded that do not meet the reqwrements mentioned above can be subject I .to a ?ne between USD 7300 and I8 100Iin their publications, onIItheir. I websites, and during disdussio?ns With public servants .or eiected :Foreig'n donors that proVi?de at: I least Hur 500 000 (ca $1800must be identi?ed (name an'I?I?d INGOIs primarily- ?inahcedr' from abroad need- specify - the II names of the foreign pdlitical-L . erntIties Ifro'rn 'wjhic'h received the donations. tr.? IE As soon as the annuai __a'rIrIouInt- foreign funds gets below this number, is. I I;.;automatically - i: N605 primarily ?nanced from-F abroad are oniy? required to I: conspicuously indicate this fact I addreSs), s'i'naller donor's arernain anonymous it has meet? the- mentioned above warning-and Ilater-a notice?bv the- prosecutor, and then :-can be subject to a tine between USD 36 and 3 300. . requirements INGO _noI, longer considered foreign-funded #mm. ?Foreig?n-fundedI NGOs that do not 1 in their publications and on their. il I websites II'sraeI: similar, but stricter. i! I receive I-a- Islsraei similar, IbuIt _more severe; .fines Received by Registration UnitI _06/30t2017