Washington can no longer ignore the political repression under Donald Tusk-led Polish government, nor the EU’s censorship rules that threaten free speech both in Poland and the U.S.
Jim Jordan, the Chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary of the U.S. House of Representatives, along with four other congressmen, has sent a letter to Michael McGrath, the EU Commissioner for Justice and Rule of Law, to condemn these practices and demand urgent action from Brussels.
In the letter obtained by the europeanconservative.com, dated Tuesday, May 13th, the congressmen stated that they were writing to McGrath
to express concern about recent allegations that Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government is weaponizing Poland’s justice system to target and censor political opponents … [and] how these allegations affect the potential that Europe’s censorship regime will affect free speech in the United States.
The four-page document then goes on to list, with appropriate citations, all the concerning moves from the Tusk government that “appear designed to silence and damage its political opposition,” particularly in the lead-up to the 2025 presidential election, the first round of which is scheduled for this Sunday, May 18th.
This list includes prosecuting leading opposition figures of the Law and Justice (PiS) party, conservative activists, and even Catholic clergy on politically-motivated charges, often without sufficient facts or documentation.
It also mentions the “inhumane” treatment of political detainees during interrogation, who are put in “physical restraints” and deprived of “basic necessities,” with one parliamentary aide even suffering a fatal heart attack just days after being denied access to her attorney.
In addition to the political persecution of individuals, the letter also warns about a broad crackdown on media freedom, the prime example of which is revoking the license of one of the most popular Polish TV channels, apparently because it has been critical of the Tusk government.
According to the letter:
Together, these actions raise concerns about whether the Tusk government is upholding the EU’s democratic values and whether it will further attempt to silence its political rivals by using anti-democratic laws like the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) to censor speech that criticizes the Tusk government.
The congressmen also state that the documents obtained by the House Judiciary Committee “reveal that the Tusk government is willing to attempt to censor online content with which it disagrees.” This is evidenced by the fact that the Polish digital ministry has already tried to pressure TikTok into removing political content that’s not even directly critical of the government, such as posts that drew attention to the ecological impact of electric vehicles.
What makes this whole thing especially concerning for Washington is that foreign censorship can indirectly affect the state of global free speech, including that of Americans. As the EU’s DSA rules require social media platforms to systematically censor “disinformation” and most companies will not take the effort to create separate moderation regimes for Europe and the rest of the world, “the DSA may set de facto global censorship standards and thus restrict Americans’ online speech,” the letter argues.
Jordan and the others then reminded the Commissioner that the EU has a legal obligation under its own treaties to protect and uphold the rule of law in its member states, adding that its apparent failure to do so in Poland suggests a dangerous ideological and political bias at play. While the conservative PiS government was endlessly criticized for its alleged rule-of-law violations, Brussels either silently enables or encourages Tusk’s abuse.
The European Parliament even seems to participate by revoking the immunity of PiS lawmakers to allow them to be prosecuted at home, the letter adds, including one whose ‘crime’ was liking a tweet.
“This apparent double standard raises concerns about the EU’s impartiality and its commitment to protecting fundamental rights across all member states,” the letter says. “The EU’s silence may embolden the Tusk government’s censorship efforts, leading the Polish government to seek global removal of speech it disagrees with, which could ultimately result in the censorship of American speech.”
Therefore, in the name of the House Judiciary Committee, the congressmen “respectfully” asked the Commissioner to arrange a briefing “as soon as possible” to address these concerns. In particular, they are interested in how the EU will ensure that the Tusk government respects the rule of law; what steps it has taken to investigate these alleged violations; and how it plans to roll out upcoming disinformation rules in a way that will “not chill Americans’ free speech rights.”
Apart from Jordan, the letter was signed by Darrel Issa, the chairman of the subcommittee on AI and the internet, as well as Congressmen Chris Smith, Warren Davidson, and Andy Harris.
