Trump official helped Polish former minister obtain a visa — Reuters
According to Reuters, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau allegedly intervened personally in the process and facilitated the urgent issuance of a visa to former Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro. This refers to a politician who is wanted in Poland in connection with cases involving possible embezzlement of public funds and the use of the Pegasus spyware against political opponents.
Zbigniew Ziobro has been in Hungary since January under the protection of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The Polish side had expected the politician to return after Orbán’s defeat in the April elections, as the new pro-European leader, Péter Magyar, had promised to extradite Ziobro on his very first day in office. However, on Landau’s orders, the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs urgently arranged for a visa to be issued through the U.S. Embassy in Budapest. The document was processed before Magyar’s inauguration, which took place on May 9.
Issuing a visa to a person being pursued by the government of a U.S. ally is an extremely unusual practice. Reuters sources report that Landau explained the urgency by citing “national security” concerns, though the detailed rationale behind this decision remains unknown. In response, the Polish government has already revoked Ziobro’s passport and has asked Washington and Budapest to provide legal grounds for his departure.
It is reported that 55-year-old Zbigniew Ziobro is the architect of the controversial judicial reform in Poland from 2015 to 2023, which the European Union has deemed to undermine the independence of the courts. Twenty-six charges have been brought against him, primarily related to the misuse of funds from the Crime Victims Assistance Fund for political purposes. Specifically, this involves the purchase of Pegasus spyware to monitor the opposition and journalists. The former minister himself denies the charges, calling the case politically motivated.
This move by the U.S. is linked to the fact that the Donald Trump administration actively supports European conservatives, viewing criminal cases against them as a manifestation of “loafers” (the use of the justice system against opponents). As early as May 10, Ziobro appeared on the Polish TV channel TV Republika with a report from the U.S. There is no information regarding the personal involvement of Trump or Secretary of State Marco Rubio in this matter.
As a reminder, Polish authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the departure of former Prosecutor General and Minister of Justice Zbigniew Ziobro from Hungary to the U.S., despite ongoing investigations against him.
Former Polish Minister of Justice Zbigniew Ziobro stated that he is currently in the United States. In Poland, he is wanted in connection with cases involving the possible misuse of public funds and the use of the Pegasus spyware against political opponents.
Nine U.S. and Canadian citizens who illegally entered the grounds of the former Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau have been detained in Poland.
