Where in the World is Diego Morales?
In India and Hungary, but on "Personal Time"
Indiana’s shady Secretary of State Diego Morales continues to make some…interesting choices.
Under Morales’ leadership, the Secretary of State office has been creating new staff positions in order to hire Morales’ family members, awarding no-bid contracts to people who donated to Morales’ campaign, and also handing out random “spot bonuses” to staff outside of regular payroll that are seemingly at-odds with internal control protocols. During 2025 budget hearings, Morales was grilled by House Democrats in Indianapolis on these questionable practices. Morales responded to many questions with no words, instead choosing to just smile and nod. After that unfortunate hearing, Morales was unexpectedly “traveling” during the Senate hearing, leaving his staff to handle the tough questions levied by (mostly) Democratic State Senators.
Most recently, Morales traveled to Hungary and made posts like this while he was traveling. Each post emphasize the “personal time” he was on while in Hungary. Morales’ wife is from Hungary so initially, it was not odd that they were enjoying a vacation together, maybe visiting family. However, Morales’ speaking appearance at CPAC and his meetings with Hungarian government officials called into question the real purpose of this trip.
Morales spoke at CPAC in Budapest on Friday, May 30, titled and promoted as “Secretary of State of Indiana.” Despite insisting in many social medial posts that he was “enjoying personal time” in Hungary, he also took meetings with Hungarian officials, in addition to his speech at CPAC.
Reporters from several outlets attempted to gain more information about the scope and purpose of Morales’ visit to Hungary, but the “personal time” excuse seemed to be the go-to response from staff.
The suspicion surrounding the Hungarian trip is heightened when added to a trip he took in March to India. That trip was privately funded and included attending tech conferences, and meetings with government officials and business leaders. The Secretary of State office, again, refused to supply further information.
And there’s more. Yes, seriously. Morales is also under investigation by the Marion County Election Board for a campaign video he released in May. Compared to the shadowy trips to Hungary and India, the potential campaign violation seems like small potatoes, but when added to the stew of evidence, it becomes even more compelling. (Apologies for the stew metaphor, I am definitely hungry (Hungary) while I type this.)
Morales us up for reelection in 2026 and no doubt he will face challengers in November. Will he also face challenges from within his own party in the primary? Time will tell.