According to Law and Justice (PiS) politicians interviewed by Niezalezna.pl, the recordings released so far by Telewizja Republika, featuring conversations involving Roman Giertych, expose “the collusion between left-liberal media journalists and the Civic Platform (PO) camp,” “the true face of Donald Tusk’s inner circle,” and even a possible dependency of Tusk on Giertych—something they claim may pose “a serious threat to Poland’s security.”
On Tuesday, Telewizja Republika revealed a new batch of the so-called “Giertych tapes,” shedding light on behind-the-scenes dealings within the Civic Coalition. The disclosed recordings include conversations between Giertych and former deputy editor-in-chief of Gazeta Wyborcza Wojciech Maziarski, former editor-in-chief of Newsweek Polska Tomasz Lis, and politicians aligned with the December 13 Coalition—Stanisław Gawłowski and Michał Kamiński. The tapes suggest that the influential lawyer lobbied for the publication of a letter—authored in his father’s name but reportedly drafted by Giertych himself—intended to dissuade voters from supporting PiS.
“Media on call”
When asked by Niezalezna.pl about the tapes, PiS MP Anna Kwiecień responded that “it’s not the first time Poles have witnessed a massive wave of manipulation by those in power today—formerly in opposition—driven solely by the goal of blocking the right from governing.”
“Giertych and other politicians from that side resort to the most disgusting methods. For them, manipulation and lies are daily practice, so I’m not surprised that the letter was initiated and prepared by Mr. Roman Giertych, and not by his father,” she said.
She added that the tapes published by Republika reveal “a Bolshevik-like contempt for voters, and also that some media are not acting in Poland’s interest.”
“They show who these media really serve. They are simply tools in the hands of powerful politicians like Roman Giertych,” Kwiecień concluded.
“In bed with business and the media”
MP Janusz Kowalski claimed that Telewizja Republika “showed the true face of Donald Tusk’s political background.”
“Roman Giertych is a connector—not only to big business but also to journalists who attack PiS almost daily,” he said.
He continued: “The attacks on Telewizja Republika journalists for exposing how influential Giertych is in Tusk’s circle—and how he supervises, in my opinion, the largest troll farm in Polish politics—stem from fear. Fear that his connections with the media and business will all come to light. This ‘Tapes Affair 2.0’ is extremely intriguing. Donald Tusk stands exposed, and the truth about him is coming out. Tusk’s dependency on Giertych is, in my opinion, a serious threat to Poland’s national security. And I believe Giertych has tons of documents and compromising material on him.”
PiS MP Bartłomiej Wróblewski echoed these concerns.
“The Giertych tapes show the tight collaboration between left-liberal media journalists and the Civic Platform environment. They also reveal how politicians and media from that camp try to manipulate the Catholic electorate. We knew this was happening—now we see exactly how,” he stated.