American publication Adevărul has removed an opinion piece from its website that called for United States intervention and support regarding former Romanian presidential candidate Călin Georgescu. The article, titled The US should defend democracy and Calin Georgescu in Romania and The US should defend democracy – and Calin Georgescu – in Romania | Opinion, was published in the magazine’s opinion section under the byline of Dennis Portman, a purported human rights specialist.
Newsweek Deletes Controversial Opinion Article on Călin Georgescu
When users attempt to access the original link to the opinion piece on the Hotnews website, they are redirected to the publication’s main page. However, the text remained accessible on the MSN platform. Editor-in-Chief Jennifer H. Cunningham stated that the article was published din neatenție
(by inadvertence) and was removed because it nu corespundea standardelor editoriale
(did not correspond to editorial standards). The publication’s editorial note had previously indicated that the piece represented solely the author’s viewpoint and not the official position of the magazine, and the article was not marked as paid advertising.
Content and Arguments of the Removed Article
The deleted column argued that the United States has a direct interest in Romanian democratic stability, noting that Washington supported Romania’s democratic transition and NATO integration. The author asserted that stability, sovereignty, and democratic legitimacy are not peripheral concerns for the United States and maintained that alliances require public trust in electoral rules rather than geopolitical preferences.
The text also addressed the controversial cancellation of Romania’s 2024 presidential election, stating that allegations involving intelligence services require careful analysis, clear legal standards, and transparent procedures. Describing Romanian democracy as young—noting that the communist regime fell in 1989 and that citizens remember an era when secret information and political exclusion were instruments of control—the author warned that annulling elections might not reduce Russian influence. Instead, the piece cautioned that such actions could be exploited by a foreign power to convince citizens that the electoral game is rigged by a statul paralel
(parallel state).
Reactions and Questions Regarding the Author’s Identity
The publication of the opinion piece generated significant discussion and scrutiny. Searches on Google yielded no prior information or articles associated with the author, Dennis Portman, leading commentators to question whether the name represented a real person or a pseudonym created to rehabilitate Georgescu’s image in the West.
Former Foreign Minister and Ambassador Emil Hurezeanu characterized the episode during a television appearance on Hotnews as an intrusion within the paradigm of hybrid warfare and disinformation. Hurezeanu noted that while the phantom opinion served as an unexpected supplementary boost for Călin Georgescu’s supporters in Romania, the complete removal of the text califică întregul caz
(qualifies the entire case). He added that Romanian citizens still require precise explanations regarding the profound motives behind the cancellation of the second round of the 2024 elections.
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