Patriotic businessman and philanthropist Benjamin Landa received the nomination for the U.S. Ambassador to Hungary in October but may have to traverse a minefield to win US Senate confirmation due to a tsunami of fake news and the attacks of Globalists who oppose Landa’s pro America First views as well as his admiration for Trump and US ally Hungarian President Victor Orban.
President Trump with Benjamin Landa in the Oval Office.
Landa, an outspoken Long Island Republican in New York’s Orthodox Jewish community, is the choice of President Trump, a steadfast supporter of the state of Israel, and sturdy diplomat who will work closely with Hungarian President Viktor Orban as he faces a Soros-backed globalist challenge in next year’s national elections.
Landa has been the target of multiple smears and falsehoods designed to derail his US Senate Confirmation.
Even though Landa has a record of supporting Israel and philanthropy to Jewish organizations that is second to none, that did not stop the leftists at Jewish Insider from hurling despicable smears against him as the propaganda against Landa reaches a fever pitch.
Left leaning POLITICO began the baseless attacks later republished by Intelligence Online, is circulating falsehoods meant to smear Landa before he can meet with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. They hope to torpedo Landa’s nomination before the process can even start with the ultimate goal of getting someone without an America First mindset into the position.
President Trump with Andrew Landa in the Oval Office.
Lie #1: “Landa and his business partner Bent Philipson were found to be personally liable for violations of anti-trafficking laws by threatening more than 200 nurses who were recruited to work at Sentosa homes from the Philippines.”
At the conclusion of the referenced lawsuit, Landa was found not liable for violating the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA). The article omits the fact that any judgments finding Landa liable for TVPA claims were reversed in the court of law and stricken from the public record, as Landa’s record was vindicated during that trial.
Furthermore, Landa was never even accused of “threatening” nurses. The legal action stemmed from a contract dispute. The lawsuit pertained to breach of contract claims relating to wages and benefits in the employment contracts of employees, which in turn triggered a TVPA claim because of the workers’ visa status. All claims against Landa were eventually dismissed with Landa paying no settlements in the case.
Lie #2: “In December 2022, an investigation by NYAG Letitia James found that Landa and Philipson hid their ownership in a Long Island nursing home by putting their children’s names on health department paperwork.”
This was a lawfare case of which James has built her political star, making a series of wild allegations with no evidence and creating charges where they should be none. The New York Supreme Court found James’ allegation baseless and unsupported by the facts. At the time of James’ lawsuit, Landa had long divested in the company referenced in the suit as owning a Long Island nursing home. The NY AG’s office was not awarded the $20 million plus fines they were seeking by the court. The only money judgment was awarded to one of the defendants – the operating company for the nursing home – not the NY AG.
The judgment related to an internal loan that financed the original purchase of the nursing home property. The court found that the terms of the loan had not been explained clearly and in effect ordered certain defendants (who acted as the lender and had financed the loan) to repay the interest earned to other defendants (who were the borrowers/investors in the business) via the operating company. The lender defendants were ordered to pay a total of $2 million – Mr. Landa’s share was $500,000.
Since the investors included Mr. Landa’s daughter, he effectively paid back interest earned on the loan to his daughter, among others, via the operating company.
Lie #3: “Landa’s companies face a plethora of open lawsuits in New York state court.”
This statement is deliberately misleading with the intent of casting a bias against Landa’s business practices. Landa has been an investor, shareholder or otherwise affiliated with hundreds of entities in the realm of healthcare throughout the course of decades. Health care facilities are particularly subject to tort litigation, frivolous or otherwise. Landa is named in these lawsuits as a result of his corporate interests, not because he bears personal responsibility for the specific allegations at hand – and are just the cost of doing business in the field. The lawsuits are the result of the litigious nature of the healthcare industry and are better seen as an argument for tort reform more than an indictment of Landa’s business record.
Landa would be a major departure from the previous US Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman who frequently insulted the ruling government and the people of the nation he was supposed to be fostering better relations with. In his farewell speech, Pressman accused the Orban government of “kleptocracy…rule by propaganda…public corruption and…[conducting] attacks on Hungary’s democratic institutions.”
Under President Trump, he is seeking an Ambassador to develop a relationship with Hungary based on shared nationalist ambitions, rather than hectoring their people for not supporting LGBT rights, the War in Ukraine, or some such nonsense. Landa is the perfect choice in this regard, which is why he is under attack from the left-leaning mass media that hopes to derail his ambitions before any hearings can begin.
Sources have told The Gateway Pundit they are highly confident Landa will be confirmed once the facts of his record come to light. President Trump recently announced he would give Hungary a one-year reprieve from Russian energy sanctions because of his support of Orban. The Senate would be wise to confirm Landa quickly to keep the relationship between the U.S. and Hungary strong and ensure that Hungary remains a bulwark against the spread of globalism across Europe.
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