"THIRD TWIN" RESIGNS FROM INTERIOR; REPLACED BY

C O N F I D E N T I A L WARSAW 000308 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/07/2022 TAGS: PREL PGOV PL SUBJECT: "THIRD TWIN" RESIGNS FROM INTERIOR; REPLACED BY ZIOBRO ALLY REF: WARSAW 301 Classified By: Mary. T. Curtin, Political Counselor, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (U) The uproar over Ludwik Dorn's unexpected departure from government continued as his replacement, Janusz Kaczmarek, was sworn in February 8 as the new Minister of Interior (MSWiA). As reported reftel, Dorn's departure from MSWiA may signal a crack in the PiS inner circle, a group long distinguished by unflagging and intense loyalty to the Kaczynskis. While nothing definitive has emerged, daily Gazeta Wyborcza cited two likely reasons for Dorn's departure. First is his disagreement with the PM over whether and how to create a separate ministry for electronic communications, somewhat resembling our Federal Communications Commission, which would be lifted out of MSWiA. Second is the PM's desire to move supervision of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBS) out of MSWiA and shift its functions to the Ministry of Justice (MOJ). A third possible reason would relate to some unspecified difference of opinion relating to the conduct of the special services, which, according to Gazeta, would explain why no one is willing to discuss the matter openly. ¶2. (C) Dorn reportedly has been feuding with another member of the Kaczynski inner circle, MOJ Zbigniew Ziobro. PiS media consultant Adam Bielan admitted that the two have been fighting. One public example relates to Dorn's support of Polish National Police Chief Marek Bienkowski's decision to force Krakow police chief Adam Rapacki into retirement over what our LEGATT described as a trumped up issue relating to a gun permit. Ziobro opposed the decision. Rapacki, well known to Krakow native Ziobro, opted for retirement over a demotion. Dorn and Ziobro's disagreement over the Rapacki matter is a rare crack into the tight inner circle of Kaczynski advisors, and has contributed to speculation over discord between the two. The fact that Kaczmarek is a close political confidant of Ziobro also suggests that Ziobro's clout within PiS is on the rise. Bienkowski's future is also uncertain. Press reports in the last two days suggest he was about to be fired, then was about to be named as Dorn's successor, and now again that he may lose his job. ¶3. (C) Janusz Kaczmarek, 46, has been the National Prosecutor since October, 2005. He earlier worked as a prosecutor when President Lech Kaczynski was Minister of Justice. He is viewed as the latest of Lech's inner circle of advisors to be promoted to positions of power, including MOD Szczyglo and MFA Fotyga. He has worked on high profile legal cases, such as the extradition of Edward Mazur in connection with the gangland murder of former Polish police chief Marek Papala, and brought corruption charges last week against Mieczyslaw Wachowski, a close associate of former President Lech Walesa. Kaczmarek often has been the public face of PiS anti-crime and anti-corruption efforts. He has a reputation for competence and media savvy, and is described by LEGATT as principled, serious and goal-oriented. LEGATT also described him as very pro-American, and interested in pursuing a statement of intent with the FBI and DEA to further enhance bilateral cooperation and joint training. If Dorn's resignation is tied to disputes over MSWiA's ceding authority to the MOJ, his rival Ziobro is well positioned to gain further influence with his ally taking Dorn's place. ¶4. (C) Comment: Kaczmarek is uniformly viewed positively, even by the opposition--a rare distinction among recent high level appointees. We expect him to do a thoroughly competent job. If the story behind the story is one of Ziobro ascending, it may be a cautionary tale. As the fate of former PM Marcinkiewicz and Sikorski both indicate, the Kaczynskis can discount competence when politicians come too close to gaining their own political base, thus competing with the Kaczynskis' primacy within PiS. End Comment. HILLAS