US Ambassador on “Lex Tusk”: We Are Aware of Concerns Expressed by Many Regarding This Law
“The United States government shares concerns about laws that could appear to allow the pre-empting of voters’ ability to vote on the candidates of their choice, outside of a clearly defined process in independent courts,” U.S. Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski told TVN24 on Monday (May 29). He was referring to the so-called “Lex Tusk”, a controversial bill that would allow the investigation of Russian influence in Poland. “We fully appreciate and understand why President Duda has forwarded this bill to the Constitutional Tribunal,” the ambassador added.
In an interview on Monday, United States Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski was asked by TVN24’s Michał Sznajder about the so-called “Lex Tusk”, a bill aimed at creating a commission to investigate Russian influence in Poland. President Andrzej Duda announced earlier on Monday that he would sign the bill into law and then send it to the Constitutional Tribunal for further considerations.
“We are well aware of the concerns expressed by many regarding this law and we fully appreciate and understand why President Duda has forwarded this bill to the Constitutional Tribunal to ascertain whether these concerns render the law unconstitutional,” the ambassador said.
“I will say this: the United States government shares concerns about laws that could appear to allow the pre-empting of voters’ ability to vote on the candidates of their choice, outside of a clearly defined process in independent courts,” he added.
The ambassador was also asked why American soldiers were serving overseas, outside the borders of the USA. “We have thousands of American soldiers in Poland, for example. American soldiers serve overseas to defend shared values. Values like democracy, rule of law, freedom of elections, fairness of elections, human rights, and freedom of the media. Those are the reasons, those are the fundamental, underpinning values as to why American soldiers serve overseas. And that cannot be forgotten,” he explained.
“We, of course, defend allies without regard to which party wins an election. It’s up to the people of a free country to choose their own leader. But when our American troops are deployed, they’re deployed to defend values, wartości po polsku, and that cannot be missed. Values of rule of law, praworządność, values of freedom of elections, fairness of elections, human rights,” Ambassador Brzezinski added.
Ambassador Brzezinski also spoke about Memorial Day, celebrated by Americans each year on the last Monday of May. “Memorial Day in America is one of our most important national holidays because it celebrates Americans who have paid the ultimate sacrifice, by giving their lives to defend our values of freedom and democracy, and to defend our country,” he explained.
“The holiday started with the Civil War – America’s bloodiest war – but then it was extended to celebrate American soldiers who have given their lives in all wars. WWII and WWI saw the loss of thousands and thousands of Americans, and Americans spend this day, many Americans do, by going to our cemeteries, to visit our war dead,” he added.
“I remember when I was little, my father – Zbigniew Brzezinski, born in Poland, taking me and my brother to the American soldiers’ cemetery in Normandy, France, where we saw the crosses, and the Stars of David, over the tombstones of those soldiers – 29,000 soldiers – who died in the invasion of Normandy,” the ambassador recalled.
“And I know that in Poland there are memorials of Americans who have paid the ultimate sacrifice trying to help Poland. In Warsaw, in Słuchowo, in Słupsk, there are monuments celebrating B-24 airplanes that were shot down over Poland trying to help the WarsawUprising. That’s what Memorial Day is about.”