Washington-Representative Eliot L. Engel, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today made the following statement on reports that President Trump may welcome Polish President Andrzej Duda to the White House in the coming days.
“President Trump’s invitation for Polish President Duda to visit the White House next week is yet another example of his infatuation with leaders who have demonstrated autocratic tendencies. While Poland is a close and valued ally of the United States, President Duda and his Law and Justice Party have undermined Poland’s judiciary, installed party loyalists in influential positions in the military, and sabotaged independent media outlets. Additionally, President Duda and his party promote horrifying homophobic and anti-LGBTQ stereotypes and policies that run counter to the human rights and values that America should strive to uphold.
“Such a visit in the middle of a global pandemic-just eleven days before Poland’s presidential election, in which President Duda is a candidate-is highly inappropriate. I call on President Trump to cancel this meeting immediately.".
