Jacek Sasin Attacks Mateusz Morawiecki Over Past Ties to Donald Tusk Amid PiS Party Split

Following a PiS ultimatum that led dozens of lawmakers to leave the party, Jacek Sasin and Jarosław Kaczyński publicly reminded Mateusz Morawiecki of his past role as an advisor to Donald Tusk.

PiS Ultimatum and Mass Departures

By midnight from Thursday to Friday, July 24, the deadline set by the PiS leadership for MPs to sign declarations of non-affiliation with associations expired, with non-compliance resulting in party exclusion. On Friday at noon, Jarosław Kaczyński announced that over thirty MPs had resigned from party membership, adding that the decision would be confirmed the following week by the PiS Political Committee. Kaczyński stated that everyone knew what they were signing and the consequences of not signing, noting that they do not want to part ways in animosity.

The conflict between PiS politicians and the environment centered around the Rozwój Plus association had been escalating for some time, with visible friction particularly between Sasin and Morawiecki. At a Friday press conference, Morawiecki announced that Rozwój Plus includes 40 MPs, a senator, and three MEPs, asserting that he wanted to work within PiS and based on the party’s “two lungs” strategy until the very end.

Morawiecki Criticizes Sasin and Kaczyński

Earlier, on the wPolsce24 television channel, Morawiecki recounted a Thursday “last chance” meeting with Jarosław Kaczyński at Nowogrodzka Street in Warsaw. He expressed surprise at walking into what he thought was a one-on-one meeting only to find Jacek Sasin there, questioning Sasin’s role and remarking that PiS is turning into “Jacek Sasin’s Solidary Poland.”

Following Morawiecki’s remarks, Sasin felt compelled to respond on X, stating that he had never been in Solidary Poland or any party other than Law and Justice. Sasin retaliated by pointing out that Morawiecki was an advisor to Donald Tusk at a time when the contempt industry against Law and Justice was being ramped up and the late President Lech Kaczyński was being brutally attacked.

Jarosław Kaczyński Weighs In on Morawiecki’s Past

Sasin further criticized Morawiecki for using similar methods by portraying the rest of the party as backward and failing to understand modernity, concluding that he learned his lesson exceptionally well from Tusk. Interestingly, Jarosław Kaczyński also touched upon Morawiecki’s past during a Friday evening interview on wPolsce24, noting that Morawiecki had a more complicated biography and spent a longer time on the attacking side, including serving as Tusk’s advisor.

It is worth recalling that in October 2023, Sasin stated on Polsat News that Morawiecki was not an advisor to then-Prime Minister Tusk, explaining that Morawiecki was not a politician at the time and was merely asked to express opinions on various matters. Between 2010 and 2012, Morawiecki belonged to the Economic Council in Donald Tusk’s government while serving as the CEO of BZ WBK bank.

Historical Context of Morawiecki’s Advisory Role

According to Gazeta Wyborcza, before becoming a favorite of PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński, Morawiecki spent years in liberal circles, meeting individuals who managed the economic zaplecze of the PO government. In October 2023, the former prime minister rejected claims of advising Tusk during an interview with Interia, reacting to Tusk’s remarks about him asking for a job, which Morawiecki dismissed as lies regarding both being on a first-name basis and serving as an advisor.

The Demagog portal commented on these claims, stating that the Economic Council was an auxiliary body of the prime minister whose members were appointed and dismissed to cooperate with Donald Tusk and share their expertise.