Monitor: Danko: My Problem with Lajcak Is That He Leaked Important Information

(STVR, 'O 5 minut 12', 1 February) Speaking on STVR's discussion programme 'O 5 minut 12' (Five Minutes to Twelve) on Sunday, House Vice-chair Andrej Danko (Slovak National Party/SNS) said he sees Miroslav Lajcak, former adviser to Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) and former foreign minister (2012-20), as a problem not because of his private communication with late US financier and sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein, but because he leaked important information. His opponent on the show, opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) leader Michal Simecka, said Lajcak should have resigned already when his private communication with Epstein had emerged for the first time. Danko noted that, in his view, Lajcak already failed when he served as foreign minister, adding that he criticised Lajcak for pushing through the presence of US troops in Slovakia. In his opinion, Lajcak exceeded the limits of acceptable sharing of information with Epstein when he offered to arrange a meeting with Fico. "I am not judging the private part of the communication, but the fact that he, as foreign minister, failed in communication by leaking information which could have weakened Slovakia's position at that time," added Danko. According to Simecka, the disclosure of Lajcak's communication with Epstein damaged Slovakia's reputation and, therefore, there was no other option than Lajcak's resignation as adviser. Touching on foreign policy issues, both politicians agreed that the prime minister did not sufficiently inform the public about the outcomes of his meetings with US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron. Danko admitted that he doesn't know the content of Fico's talks with either president, but he thinks that Fico is surrounded by a narrow circle of people with whom he communicates. According to Simecka, Fico bears responsibility for foreign policy and, in this capacity, should have informed Parliament and the public about his meetings with Trump and Macron. Regarding the vote of confidence in the government in connection with the debt brake, Danko declined to say whether the vote would take place during the current or the next parliamentary session, but assured that no one is avoiding the vote. Simecka confirmed that PS will file a motion with the Constitutional Court as the vote has not yet taken place. "This shows the level of contempt by the government towards the constitutional law and Parliament. The government has a duty to request a vote of confidence without delay under the constitutional law when the debt exceeds, if I am not mistaken, 50 percent," said Simecka. jrg