Judicial Watch Sues for Records on Biden State Department Grants to Support Leftist Opposition to Conservative Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban

(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the U.S. Department of State for records on grants made by the Biden State Department to various Hungarian media outlets and educational organizations opposing conservative Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of State (No. 1:25-cv-00836)).

Judicial Watch filed the lawsuit after the State Department failed to respond to a January 29, 2025, FOIA request for:

All records regarding any grants provided under the Independent Media Support Fund/Free Media Grant Program to any organization or individual in Hungary. This request includes, but is not limited to, all records depicting the recipients and purposes of the grants, the timing of the awards, and all related records of communication between former Ambassador David Pressman or Chargé d’Affaires David Holmes and any other individual or entity.

The complaint explains:

According to media reports, on the final day of the Biden Administration, the U.S. Embassy in Budapest, Hungary, awarded grants worth millions of Hungarian Forints to various Hungarian media outlets and educational organizations aligned with opponents of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, an ally of incoming U.S. President Donald Trump. See, e.g., “U.S. Embassy Awards Millions in Grants to Opposition Media on Trump Inauguration Day,” Hungarian Conservative, Jan. 21, 2025 (available at https://www.hungarianconservative.com/articles/current/us-embassy-hungary-opposition-media-funding-interference-pressman/ )

According to the Hungarian Conservative:

Recipients of the grant include several well-known anti-government media outlets, aligned with the Hungarian opposition but posing as independent press. Among the grantees, 444 received more than 8 million HUF (over 20,000 USD), Átlátszó 10 million HUF approximately 25,000 USD), Jelen 7 million HUF (around 18,000 USD), and both Magyar Hang and Klubrádió were awarded 10 million HUF each in Category A. In Category B, which supports media education and journalism training, Transparency International’s Hungarian foundation—one of the most prominent organizations within the Soros network—received more than 7 million HUF.

“The Biden State Department, on Joe’s last day in office, apparently sent a cash infusion to Hungary’s left-wing, anti-Orban opposition organizations,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “Let’s hope the new State Department stops the cover-up and produces records on this meddling.”

Judicial Watch in February 2025 also sued USAID for records regarding waste, fraud and abuse tied to aid money sent to Ukraine.

In November 2024, Judicial Watch sued the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for records about to the $27 million in U.S. grants awarded to “Miscellaneous Foreign Awardees” that have been designated for use in Gaza.

In October 2023, Judicial Watch sued the State Department for communications and records regarding the eligibility of citizens of Hungary to participate in a visa waiver program.

In 2018, Judicial Watch obtained State Department documents showing top Soros representatives in Romania collaborating with the State Department in a program jointly funded by, among others, Soros’s Open Society Foundations – Romania and USAID, called the “Open Government Partnership.”

Additional State Department records uncovered in 2018 showed USAID funding for George Soros’s left-wing nonprofit organizations in Albania. The documents dealt primarily with the activities of Soros’ top operative in Albania, Andri Dobrushi, the director of Open Society Foundation-Albania, who was actively engaged in channeling funding to what Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban calls Soros’ “mercenary army.” The documents showed U.S. grant money flowing through non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that profess to promote “civil society,” while in fact attacking traditional, pro-American groups, governments and policies.

Other records related to the USAID’s activities in Albania showed that the Obama administration sent U.S. taxpayers’ funds to a group backed by Soros, which used the money to fund left-wing political activities in Albania, including working with the country’s socialist government to push for highly controversial judicial “reform.” The records also detailed how the Soros operation helped the State Department review grant applications from other groups for taxpayer funding.

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