(Bloomberg) -- The top U.S. diplomat in Hungary denied reports of potential sanctions against members of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's inner circle.
"I have no knowledge that such a step would be under preparation," Ambassador David Cornstein said in an interview with the broadcaster ATV, two days after a meeting between Orban and President Donald Trump in Washington. Calling the reports untrue, Cornstein said, “If there was any suspicion that such a step was being prepared, I don't think a meeting would have been possible.”
The reports, carried by Hungarian investigative website Atlatszo and the Wall Street Journal, cited people who weren't identified as saying the sanctions could affect businessman Lorinc Meszaros and Istvan Tiborcz, the premier's son-in-law. A Hungarian government spokesman called the report “fake news” earlier on Wednesday.
To contact the reporter on this story: Marton Eder in Budapest at meder4@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Dana El Baltaji at delbaltaji@bloomberg.net, Larry Liebert, Zoltan Simon
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