TVP World reports:

Ex-minister Zbigniew Ziobro, who is facing multiple charges in Poland, confirmed he was in the US on Sunday night after media reported his visa was personally approved by President Donald Trump, despite opposition from senior US officials.

Ziobro—a former justice minister who was one of the most influential figures in the previous administration led by the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party—admitted to travelling to the US during an interview with Polish private conservative broadcaster TV Republika on Sunday.

“I’m in the US; I flew in yesterday. This is my third time traveling around the United States. It’s a beautiful country, the strongest democracy in the world,” he told the outlet.

He had previously sought protection from prosecution in Hungary under Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government.

According to Gazeta Wyborcza, the decision was made personally by US President Donald Trump, despite opposition from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Ambassador to Poland Tom Rose.

The outlet also reported that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski had received assurances from Ambassador Rose three weeks earlier that the United States would not provide shelter to “Hungarian fugitives.” According to the newspaper, PiS reached Trump through the MAGA movement and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles. [Continue reading…]