The American Ambassador to the Netherlands is under fire by both US and Dutch officials for hosting an event at the American embassy in Wassenaar honoring the far-right party, thereby giving an endorsement of the group, Politico reports.
US Ambassador Pete Hoekstra, who was born in the Netherlands, has denied accusations that the event was a fundraiser for the Forum for Democracy party. The ambassador, however, invited about 40 Party officials and wealthy entrepreneurs to the event, held September 10th.
US embassy personnel, including ambassadors, are barred by US policy to personally endorse a candidate for office or use diplomatic property for domestic political purposes.
According to Politico, A lawmaker from the social-liberal D66 party said the event may have even violated the Vienna Convention, which states foreign diplomats should not interfere in a host nation’s politics.
When contacted by the Dutch Trade Minister, US embassy personnel stated invitations to the event were sent to all Dutch political parties. No others attended the event, however.
This is not the first time Hoekstra has been associated with the Dutch far-right party. In May, he was interviewed by Thierry Baudet, the leader of Forum for Democracy, for the party’s video channel and he was also a guest speaker at the party’s conference last November.