Fidesz denies allegations of leaking classified info on Ukraine’s alleged smear campaign

Information made public regarding Ukraine’s attempts to smear the Hungarian prime minister was never classified, Máté Kocsis, the leader of the Fidesz parliamentary group, said on Wednesday, dismissing an accusation by opposition Democratic Coalition MP Ágnes Vadai “and the left-wing press” that releasing information from a closed session of parliament’s national security committee had been a crime.

In a Facebook post, Kocsis referred to comments he made on Tuesday regarding information he said came from the secret services suggesting that Ukraine, aided and abetted by certain sections of the Hungarian media, had tried to spread “fake news” about Prime Minister Viktor Orbán so as to “weaken Hungary’s ability to assert its interests”.

Kocsis insisted that Vadai had failed to “learn the relevant rules” after her 23 years of being an MP. Noting that she has been barred from national security committee meetings, he said: “Perhaps this is a good thing”. He said the fact that the committee meeting had been held behind closed doors did not in itself make the content of its discussions a secret.

Kocsis said Ukraine was trying to smear the government because Hungary “opposes the war”. He added that the real problem was Ukraine’s actions and the help it had received from certain Hungarian citizens rather than the fact he had made them public.

Read also:

• Orbán’s cabinet statements deepen the crisis between Hungary and Poland
• Fidesz-backed mayor bought votes for EUR 25 in Járdánháza? – VIDEO