Edmund Janniger (born 30 December 1995) was a short-time adviser to the Minister of National Defence of Poland Antoni Macierewicz in late 2015.[1] Then 19, he was the youngest ministerial adviser in Poland’s history.[2][3]

Edmund Janniger
Born (1995-12-30) 30 December 1995 (age 28)
Alma materRutgers University School of Public Affairs and Administration
Parent(s)Camila Krysicka Janniger
Robert A. Schwartz

Biography edit

The son of Robert A. Schwartz and Camila Krysicka, both university professors and physicians. Janniger initially wanted to become a physician, but decided to engage in politics.[3]

Janniger has worked with long-time family friend[4] Antoni Macierewicz for 6 months[5] (some reports state 3 years), initially as his assistant and later as trainee deputy manager in his parliamentary office.[6][7][8] In the run-up to the 2015 Polish parliamentary election, Janniger held a post of deputy campaign manager for Law and Justice in the 10th Electoral District where Macierewicz was the party's lead candidate.[9][unreliable source?][10] Grzegorz Rzeczkowski[who?] described Janniger as Macierewicz's "inseparable adviser, spin-doctor and defender."[11]

On 16 November 2015, within hours of Macierewicz's appointment as Minister of National Defence, Janniger was appointed as his adviser.[12][13] His responsibilities included "managing the minister's online presence".[14] The appointment of such a relatively young person to the post met with support of the media sympathetic to the newly elected government and with criticism from those aligned with the opposition.[15]

He held the post officially until 8 December 2015, when he returned to the United States[16] to focus on Institute of Global Affairs, a short-lived club he had established[5] presented by some media as a think tank.[17][18] In June 2016, however, Dziennik Gazeta Prawna called the actuality of the reported departure into question[19] and in October 2016, investigative journalist Tomasz Piątek of Gazeta Wyborcza found out that Janniger, despite living in the US, was still being employed and paid by the Ministry of National Defence.[20]

In his 2017 book, Piątek scrutinized Janniger's ties and considered them unusual.[21][further explanation needed]

Janniger was dubbed as the Altar Boy (Polish: ministrant, wordplay with minister) of National Defence by some journalists[by whom?] due to his involvement with faith leaders.[22]

References edit

  1. ^ "20-latek będzie doradzał Macierewiczowi. "Dziękuję za zaufanie, jakim mnie obdarzył"" [20-year-old will advise Macierewicz. "I am thankful for his confidence in me"]. TVN24 (in Polish). 2015-11-24.
  2. ^ "Defence Minister's 20-year-old aide resigns". Polish Radio External Service. 2015-12-10.
  3. ^ a b "Ciekawostki o 20-latku u boku Macierewicza" [Interesting facts about the 20-year-old alongside Macierewicz]. Fakt (in Polish). 2015-11-26.
  4. ^ "Polska Fundacja Narodowa płaciła za przeloty i hotele znajomego Macierewicza". www.rmf24.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  5. ^ a b Polska, Grupa Wirtualna; Polska, Wirtualna. "Edmund Janniger mistrz. W naciąganiu CV – Magazyn WP". magazyn.wp.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2020-10-14.
  6. ^ "Doradza szefowi MON i przyznaje, że podziwia Macierewicza: "Zawsze był dla mnie wzorem"" [He advises the Minister of Defence and admits he admires Macierewicz: "He was always my role model"]. wPolityce.pl (in Polish). 2015-11-28.
  7. ^ Sikora, Kamil (2015-11-28). "Uff, jesteśmy bezpieczni. Student Edmund Janniger właśnie został doradcą szefa MON Antoniego Macierewicza" [Phew, we are safe. Student Edmund Janniger just became adviser to Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz]. NaTemat.pl (in Polish).
  8. ^ "Edmund Janniger. Kim jest 20-letni doradca szefa MON?" [Edmund Janniger. Who is the 20-year-old adviser to the defence minister?]. Interia.pl (in Polish). 2015-11-24.
  9. ^ "Antoni Macierewicz stawia na młodych. Dwudziestolatek doradcą szefa MON" [Antoni Macierewicz bets on young people. Twenty years old adviser to the Defence Minister]. TVP Info (in Polish). 2015-11-24.
  10. ^ "Edmund Janniger doradcą szefa MON Antoniego Macierewicza" [Edmund Janniger adviser to the defence minister Antoni Macierewicz]. Parlamentarny.pl (in Polish). 2015-11-24.
  11. ^ Rzeczkowski, Grzegorz (2020). "Instytut spisków". Katastrofa posmoleńska. Kto rozbił Polskę (in Polish). Wydawnictwo Tarcza. p. 148. ISBN 978-83-957175-0-5.
  12. ^ "20-letni Edmund Janniger doradcą Macierewicza w MON. Kim jest?" [20-year-old Edmund Janniger, Macierewicz's adviser at the Defence Ministry. Who is he?]. Onet.pl (in Polish). 2015-11-24.
  13. ^ "20-latek doradcą Macierewicza w MON" [20-year-old adviser to Macierewicz at the Defence Ministry]. Wprost (in Polish). 2015-11-24.
  14. ^ ""Harry Potter" w MON - nowy doradca Macierewicza robi "karierę" w internecie". Wiadomości. 2015-11-25. Superstacja.
  15. ^ "Wojciech Skurkiewicz (PiS) i Tomasz Lenz (PO) o młodym doradcy Antoniego Macierewicza". Informacje. 2015-11-25. TVP Info.
  16. ^ "Edmund Janniger nie doradza już szefowi MON" [Edmund Janniger no longer advises the Minister of Defence]. TVN24 (in Polish). 2015-12-09.
  17. ^ "Edmund Janniger przewodniczącym Instytutu Spraw Globalnych w Nowym Jorku" [Edmund Janniger Appointed President of the Institute of Global Affairs in New York]. Wprost (in Polish). 2015-12-12.
  18. ^ "Edmund Janniger przewodniczącym Instytutu Spraw Globalnych" [Edmund Janniger Appointed President of the Institute of Global Affairs]. Telewizja Republika (in Polish). 2015-12-12.
  19. ^ "Edmund Janniger wrócił do Macierewicza? Funkcja: specjalny przedstawiciel ministra obrony narodowej" [Edmund Janniger returned to Macierewicz? Function: Special Representative of the Minister of National Defence]. Dziennik Gazeta Prawna (in Polish). 2016-06-03.
  20. ^ Piątek, Tomasz (2016-10-01). "Alfonse D'Amato. Nowojorsko-smoleński łącznik Macierewicza?" [Alfonse D'Amato. Macierewicz’s New York-Smolensk liaison?]. Gazeta Wyborcza (in Polish).
  21. ^ Piątek, Tomasz (2017). Macierewicz i jego tajemnice. Arbitror. ISBN 9788394833107.
  22. ^ ""Ministrant Obrony Narodowej". Edmund Janniger znowu na ustach internautów" ["Ministrant of National Defense." Edmund Janniger again on the minds of Internet users]. Wirtualna Polska (in Polish). 2017-05-04.