In case anyone still doubts that the current government of Donald Tusk would be a continuation of the PO-PSL government of 2007-2015 (although the December 13 coalition managed to achieve some of the “achievements” of those years in just a month time to overcome!), the latest media reports will dispel them. As RMF FM journalists discovered, Paweł Graś, a trusted associate of the head of government, returns to the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland. The formal procedure for Graś’s appointment to this position has already begun, although, interestingly, he accompanied Prime Minister Tusk on his visit to Kiev last week.
It was predictable: Paweł Graś, first the spokesperson of the PO-PSL government, then the Secretary General of PO, and at the time when the current Prime Minister Donald Tusk held the position of the European Council – his advisor, would return to the prime minister’s immediate circle.
This time, as reported by RMF FM journalists, a trusted associate of Prime Minister Donald Tusk will join the Prime Minister’s Chancellery. He will be head of the Prime Minister’s Office and the procedure to appoint him to this position has already begun.
The documents related to his appointment to this position are already ready and are only awaiting his signature
– we read on the RMF FM website.
Visit to Kiev
Interestingly, Paweł Graś is already appearing in the Prime Minister’s entourage. Donald Tusk was accompanied by, among others, during last week’s visit to Kiev. It is even visible in photos of the meeting of Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s delegation with the head of the Ukrainian government, Denys Shmyhal, and his associates. In the third photo in the message below, Graś is sitting next to the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, Paweł Kowal.
Graś previously appeared briefly in the Sejm. What is he currently doing? According to RMF FM, “he coordinates the exchange of presidents of state-owned enterprises, which is carried out by Assets Minister Borys Budka and Deputy Minister Robert Kropiwnicki.”
Tapes and the VAT Commission
Paweł Graś has been a trusted associate of Donald Tusk for years. In 2014 he even went with the prime minister to Brussels, where Tusk was then head of the European Council.
What made him ‘famous’ while working with the former and current Prime Minister? Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Ministry of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, who was Minister of Family, Labor and Social Policy in the previous PO-PSL government, should consider this.
If you look at it calmly, the man, after Buzek, carried out two of the worst events in free Poland: the ’67 reform and the OFE. Everything was up to him, raising the retirement age, it was up to his ministry
– this is what Paweł Graś said about Kosiniak-Kamysz in a conversation with Jan Kulczyk in the tapes published by TVP Info in 2018.
In another conversation, revealed the same year and dated September 2013, Donald Tusk’s then-close associate argued:
The production of medicines is absolutely no longer profitable, now only VAT
When Paweł Graś appeared before the parliamentary investigative committee on VAT fraud in March 2019, he used the words “I don’t remember” dozens of times. Memory loss also affected him regarding the said tapes.
“And Merkel can’t do anything there?
Another interesting issue related to Graś was his conversation with Jan Kulczyk in April 2014 about changes in the editorial staff of “Fakt”, which we quoted, among other things: on the wPolityce.pl website:
Pawel Gras: What’s more important is that the media somehow appreciates what’s happening. Jan Kulczyk: So the problem with ‘Fact’ is… ‘Fact’ belongs to Springer? Yes? Pawel Gras: Yeah, it’s a strange situation, you know. Jan Kulczyk: And Merkel can’t do anything there? Pawel Gras: We have spoken to them. Anyway. On the one hand, these Germans say that they view business only from a business perspective and that they do not interfere, exert influence, and so on. Such a damn newspaper that deals solely with hatred and constant attacks on the government and the Prime Minister is fucking insane. Jan Kulczyk:
Listen, let me see, you know, I have a guy who, you know, is in our group there, he’s a senator and a lawyer. I saw this Springer twice at his house. You know? Pawel Gras: After all, it is a German newspaper. I’m going after Kaczyński a bit here, but I wish she was that involved in attacking the government. This is downright obscene. Jan Kulczyk: But could something be wrong, has something happened? Pawel Gras: NO. This is a psychological mentality. The PiS leader is the editor-in-chief. That’s for sure. Editor-in-chief of “Fakt” – Jankowski. That is, I talked to him a few times. This is one time, this is one reason, you know… mega at this highest level. He just has that faith. And he’s generally on their side. Secondly, the newspaper must of course attack the government, because that is its role, otherwise we would go crazy if they did not attack us. Okay, of course that’s possible, but… Jan Kulczyk: You can’t pay for everything. Pawel Gras: For everything, good for everything. Jan Kulczyk: They hit, you know, my daughter, it’s rude. Pawel Gras: This is such rudeness. And finally, daughter, I suspect this is revenge for winning the lawsuits of Michał, Donald’s son.
READ MORE: What did those protesting now do then? The Internet remembered how Graś and Kulczyk talked about changing the editor-in-chief of “Fakt”
““An honorable approach”
It is worth going back to September 21, 2010. The then spokesman for the government of Donald Tusk “reasured” the public about the course of the investigation into the Smolensk disaster.
Warsaw cannot put pressure on Moscow in this area
– said Paweł Gras then.
As he argued, this is a matter of Russia’s “honorable approach.” After February 24, 2022, does Graś know how much you can count on an “honorable approach” in the case of Russia, if he did not know after 2008 and the attack on Georgia?
In other words, it will be very “interesting times.” The only question is: what did Graś do next to Tusk in Kiev, since he did not formally fulfill his position yet?
aja/RMF FM, Polskie Radio 24, wPolityce.pl
Source: wPolityce
Emma Matthew is a political analyst for “Social Bites”. With a keen understanding of the inner workings of government and a passion for politics, she provides insightful and informative coverage of the latest political developments.