Page 7 - David Cornstein News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Went to visit him in budapest the week before last, but let me tell you, in hungary he's making some waves. a controversial character. take a look. it was an independence day to remember hosted by one of president trump's oldest friends, the u.s. ambassador to hungary david cornstein. like the president, cornstein enjoys putting on a show. sunger paul -- singer paul anka flown in to serenade viktor orban. >> it is my distinct pleasure and great honor to introduce my partner and my friend the prime minister of hungary, our guest of honor, viktor orban. >> reporter: four years ago such a fawning...

Been unthinkable, but under president trump the u.s./hungarian relationship is blossoming once again. and that's in no small part due to the appointment of ambassador david cornstein, an 81-year-old jewelry magnet from new york city with no relevant political experience beyond a decade's old friendship with the president. >> i became a diplomat. who the hell would have figured that. i became a diplomat. >> reporter: political appointees on both sides of the aisle are often inexperienced and sometimes ineffective, but cornstein has a direct line of communication with the president. he was as th...

A blow that will last much longer than cornstein's tenure and have repercussions far beyond hungary. >> really fascinating to hear this story, but political appointees as we know are often inexperienced, so how is this situation different? >> reporter: that's an important point, alisyn, on both sides of the aisle. president obama famously appointed a producer of the soap opera "the bold and the beautiful" to be his ambassador to hungary. this is nothing new. the difference is traditionally, even if an ambassador is a political appointee, is politically very inexperienced, they work closely wit...

Clarissa ward reports. >> reporter: it was an independence day to remember. hosted by one of president trump's oldest friends, the u.s. ambassador to hungary, david cornstein. >> reporter: like the president, cornstein enjoys putting on a show. singer paul anka was flown in to serenade the guest of honor, hu hungary's far right authoritarian leader, viktor orb orban. >> and it is my distinct pleasure and my great honor to introduce my partner and my friend, the prime minister of hungary our guest of honor, viktor orban. >> reporter: four years ago such a fawning display would have been unthink...

President. he was instrumental in arranging a white house visit for orban, despite protests from both parties. >> pretty like me a little bit controversial but that's okay. that's okay. you've done a good job. >> one of orban's many controversial moves has been to forced u.s. accredited graduate school central european university out of hungary. cu president says while cornstein publicly vowed to help, privately he kor pitorban >> i don't knunderstand, to tel you the truth. somehow i think mr. cornstein began to think, this is a liberal institution, i'm closer to a conservative like orban than...