“Poland is the shield of NATO’s eastern flank, an extraordinary ally, an extraordinary nation—proud, sovereign, fiercely protective of its culture, and incredibly pro-American,” said Thomas Rose, nominated to serve as U.S. ambassador to Warsaw, during his Senate confirmation hearing. He added, “If there’s one country in Europe where America has no problem, it’s Poland,” emphasizing, “If the United States has an interest in a matter, if it directly affects the U.S., I will be a vigorous defender of President (Karol Nawrocki – ed.) and his agenda.”
Rose appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for his confirmation hearing, along with the nominees for ambassadors to Belgium and Argentina. The conservative commentator spoke of Poland in glowing terms, portraying it as a model U.S. ally and a European leader in defense, energy security, and cybersecurity.
“Poland is the shield of NATO’s eastern flank, an extraordinary ally, an extraordinary nation—proud, sovereign, fiercely protective of its culture, and incredibly pro-American. Of course, there are various internal political disputes in Poland, but at the 30,000-foot level, when it comes to existential matters, they get it. They compete with each other to be more American,” said Rose. He asserted that Poland “is not just an ally, but family.”
Known for his staunch pro-Israel stance, Rose also discussed Polish-Israeli relations and the issue of restitution for heirs of Holocaust victims. He stated that a common misconception is that because the Holocaust occurred in Poland, “somehow Poland bears responsibility for it.”
“It was the Nazis—it was the Germans and their collaborators. Israelis need to better understand that. And Poles need to better understand Israeli sensitivities,” Rose said. He expressed deep interest in reconciling the two nations and believes he can contribute to this. On the topic of restitution, he acknowledged its importance, but stressed, “It is very, very important that we all remember who the victim was”—and that Poland was not a perpetrator of the Holocaust, but one of its victims.
“Of the 22 countries occupied by Nazi Germany or governed through puppet regimes, the only one that was conquered and never surrendered was Poland. The Polish government relocated to London, where it continued to operate in exile,” he added.
Rose was also questioned by committee vice chair, Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, about past social media posts in which he had either criticized the current Polish government or expressed support for the Law and Justice (PiS) party. He emphasized he is not ashamed of those posts—which neither he nor Shaheen specified—and said he would have written them regardless of who held the office of Polish prime minister. After his nomination was announced, Rose continued to comment on platform X (formerly Twitter), including criticism of plans by Poland’s Ministry of Digital Affairs to introduce a digital tax.
“We have excellent relations with Donald Tusk and his Civic Coalition. We have great relations with PiS, the opposition coalition. If there’s one country in Europe where America has no problem, it’s Poland,” he stressed. When pressed on whether he would refrain from favoring any political party, he pledged to do so, but added:
“If the United States has an interest in a matter, if it directly affects the U.S., I will be a vigorous defender of the president and his agenda.”
The confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is a key step in the ambassadorial nomination process, but not the final one. In most cases, confirmation by the Senate is a formality, and no senator openly objected to Rose’s nomination. As early as Wednesday, Rose and the other nominees could gain the committee’s endorsement. A full Senate vote will follow at a later date.
Thomas Rose is a conservative columnist, former adviser to Vice President Mike Pence, and former editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post. For years, he also co-hosted a conservative talk show with former Republican presidential candidate Gary Bauer.