Speaking before a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Tusk asked ministers Radosław Sikorski and Waldemar Żurek to act within hours, saying he wanted the information to reach not only US officials but also "other American politicians and opinion leaders".
"When we are pursuing people who face charges as serious as minister Ziobro does, I would very much like that information to reach as wide an audience as possible in the United States."
"Everyone who might be able to help us," Tusk said.
Prosecutors accuse Ziobro, a Law and Justice (PiS) MP who served as justice minister under the previous government, of leading a criminal organisation and abusing his position.
He faces a total of 26 charges, including allegations that he used funds intended for crime victims to purchase the Pegasus spyware system, which was allegedly deployed to surveil political opponents.
The Sejm (lower house of parliament) stripped Ziobro of his parliamentary immunity in November 2025, authorising his detention.
A warrant was issued, but could not be executed as he had already left Poland.
Ziobro reportedly spent several months in Hungary, where he received international protection under Viktor Orbán's government.
He confirmed on 10 May that he had travelled to the United States, saying he had not fled Poland and was using documents granted alongside his Hungarian asylum status.
The Reuters news agency reported on Monday that US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau had instructed the consular department to issue Ziobro a visa through the US embassy in Budapest.
According to Reuters sources, Landau considered the former Polish minister to be unjustly prosecuted.
The State Department declined to comment, citing the confidentiality of visa records.
Poland's foreign ministry sent a diplomatic note to the US embassy in Warsaw on 12 May requesting clarification on the legal basis for Ziobro's entry.
Justice Minister Żurek confirmed that an extradition request is ready, though he acknowledged uncertainty over whether US federal courts would require a final Polish court ruling before proceeding.
Tusk noted the path ahead was not straightforward, citing the lengthy and ultimately unsuccessful extradition case of Polish-American businessman Edward Mazur, sought in connection with a 1998 murder, as an example of the difficulties involved.
"I am convinced that if we effectively deliver the full picture of the charges against Mr Ziobro, the question of extradition may yet end in success," the prime minister said.
(ał)
Source: PAP