US sanctions top Hungarian official for alleged corruption while in office

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — A senior Hungarian government official close to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was hit Tuesday with U.S. sanctions for his alleged involvement in corruption in Hungary, a rare step against a sitting official in an allied country.

The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Antal Rogán for corruption while in office. A key figure in Orbán’s government, Rogán is accused of using his position to broker favorable business deals with government-aligned businesspeople, a key part of European Union penalties against Hungary that have withheld billions in funding over official corruption concerns.

Speaking at a news conference in Budapest on Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman said Rogán was “a primary architect, implementer and beneficiary” of systemic corruption in Hungary which he described as a “kleptocratic ecosystem.”

“For too long, senior government officials in Hungary have used positions of power to enrich themselves and their families, moving significant funds from the public purse into private pockets,” Pressman said, adding that there were “many others involved” in such corruption within Hungary's government.

The head of Orbán's cabinet office, Rogán oversees the engineering of wide-reaching government communication campaigns that are credited with being instrumental in maintaining Orbán’s power since 2010. Known among critics in Hungary as the “propaganda minister,” Rogán rarely appears in public or gives interviews, but is a veteran advisor to Orbán and also oversees Hungary’s secret services.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement Tuesday that Rogan’s activity “is emblematic of the broader climate of impunity in Hungary where key elements of the state have been captured by oligarchs and undemocratic actors.”

The authority used to designate Rogán is a Trump-era executive order that implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which targets human rights abusers and corruption around the world.

The sanctions brought by the outgoing Biden administration reflect U.S. efforts in the last four years to address concerns in Washington that Orbán has led Hungary, a member of the EU and a NATO member, to abandon democratic principles while pursuing closer ties with Russia and China.

Orbán, who backs Donald Trump, has expressed certainty that U.S.-Hungarian relations would improve once the president-elect takes office. Orbán made three visits to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in 2024, while Trump has spoken positively about him.

Ambassador Pressman, whose tenure in Hungary will end this month, has been the subject of intense criticism by Orbán’s government, which accuses him of attempting to interfere in Hungary’s internal affairs.

Responding to the sanctions, Hungary's foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, wrote on social media: “This is personal revenge against Antal Rogán by the ambassador sent by the failed U.S. administration to Hungary, but who is now leaving ingloriously and without success."

"How nice that in a few days’ time the United States will be led by people who see our country as a friend and not an enemy,” Szijjártó wrote.

The Treasury Department in 2023 placed sanctions on the International Investment Bank, which relocated its headquarters to Hungary’s capital from Moscow in 2019, arguing it served as a conduit for Russian espionage within the EU and NATO.

Hungary soon after withdrew its stakes in the bank.

Hussein reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed reporting.

FILE - Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban addresses a media conference at the end of an EU summit in Brussels, Dec. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Wildfires that ripped through the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles forced many Hollywood stars, including Mark Hamill, Mandy Moore and James Woods, to evacuate their homes.

California firefighters are battling wind-whipped fires tearing across the area, destroying homes, clogging roadways as tens of thousands fled and straining resources as the fires burned uncontained early Wednesday.

The Pacific Palisades neighborhood is a hillside area along the coast dotted with celebrity residences and memorialized by the Beach Boys in their 1960s hit “Surfin’ USA.” In the frantic haste to get to safety, roadways became impassable when scores of people abandoned their vehicles and fled on foot, some toting suitcases.

“Evacuated Malibu so last minute,” wrote Hamill in an Instagram post Tuesday night. “Small fires on both sides of the road as we approached (the Pacific Coast Highway).”

Stars who have homes in the area include Adam Sandler, Ben Affleck, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.

Officials didn’t give an estimate of structures damaged or destroyed in the wildfire, but they said about 30,000 residents were under evacuation orders and more than 13,000 structures were under threat.

The fire burned down Temescal Canyon, a popular hiking area surrounded by dense neighborhoods of multimillion-dollar homes. Flames jumped famous Sunset Boulevard and burned parts of the Palisades Charter High School, which has been featured in many Hollywood productions including the 1976 horror movie “Carrie,” the 2003 remake of “Freaky Friday” and the TV series “Teen Wolf.”

Woods posted footage Tuesday of flames burning through bushes and past palm trees on a hill near his home. The towering orange flames billowed among the landscaped yards between the homes.

“Standing in my driveway, getting ready to evacuate,” Woods said in the short video on X. Later, he added: “It tests your soul, losing everything at once, I must say.”

Mandy Moore wrote early morning on Instagram, “Evacuated and safe with kids, dogs and cats. Praying and grateful for the first responders."

Film studios canceled two movie premieres due to the fire and windy weather, and the Los Angeles Unified School District said it temporarily relocated students from three campuses in the Pacific Palisades area.

A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire as it burns a structure in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)