Adviser to the President of Poland, Stanisław Żaryn, says the public is “increasingly being subjected to a manipulation campaign tailored to the electoral needs of the current government.”
In a statement, Żaryn lists several points he believes are being distorted in the latest wave of allegations against Karol Nawrocki (Head of Poland’s Institute of National Remembrance):
- Valid security clearance. Nawrocki still holds a government-issued security certificate, and—contrary to media claims—the Internal Security Agency (ABW) is not conducting any special review, Żaryn stresses, citing Defense Minister-spokesman Tomasz Siemoniak.
- Guarantee of confidentiality. By ABW’s own assessment, Nawrocki “continues to offer a full guarantee that he can safeguard classified information,” Żaryn notes.
- Firearms permit. Nawrocki possesses a firearms license—granted only after a thorough background check—which, Żaryn argues, further demonstrates his credibility.
- Youthful associations. Media outlets (including Wirtualna Polska) report that, in his youth, Nawrocki moved in circles where law-enforcement agencies once looked for links to organized crime. “There is no evidence,” Żaryn says, “that investigators ever found anything incriminating against him.”
- Double standards. Żaryn contrasts today’s scrutiny of Nawrocki with past press portrayals of Donald Tusk, who once cultivated an image of a streetwise rebel. “At the time,” he recalls, “media stories even highlighted Tusk’s participation in fan-related street brawls.”
Żaryn concludes: “It is increasingly clear that we are in the middle of a sophisticated manipulation operation driven by the governing party’s electoral calculus.”