AfD politician Maximilian Krah wants to remain his party’s top candidate for the European elections despite the alleged espionage case in his office. Krah told journalists in Berlin on Wednesday morning after a conversation with AfD party leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla that he fired the employee after the arrest warrant. “I am and will remain the top candidate,” emphasized Krah. “It’s now a matter of focusing the election campaign back on European issues and moving away from this very unpleasant matter.”
According to SZ information, however, there will be no election video with Krah, and the party also wants to forego printed election advertising with him. Apparently he will not appear in the European election campaign to the extent that was originally planned.
Krah also does not want to take part in the event to kick off the election campaign on Saturday in Donaueschingen. His appearance was planned there together with Weidel and Chrupalla. But he said he had no personal wrongdoing to accuse himself of. Apparently a crime was committed in his office. “It’s very unpleasant and it’s in my best interest to clear this up.” But it’s not like he did it. An arrest warrant has now been issued against Krah’s office employee who was arrested on suspicion of spying for China.
Krah called the conversation with Weidel and Chrupalla very friendly and constructive, but appropriately serious for the matter. After the half-hour conversation with Krah, party leaders Chrupalla and Weidel confirmed that he had separated from his employee with immediate effect. “In order not to burden the election campaign and the party’s reputation, he decided not to take part in the upcoming election campaign kick-off in Donaueschingen.” According to Weidel and Chrupalla, influence by foreign states through espionage, but also attempts to buy opinions and positions, must be investigated and strictly prevented.
He remains in close contact with Weidel and Chrupalla, said Krah. With regard to the employee, he said: “I am very interested in the clarification and will endeavor to find out what exactly is being alleged. We will continue to work in my office to reconstruct everything that happened during the period in question was processed by him.”
SPD demands affidavits from Krah and Bystron
The parliamentary managing director of the SPD parliamentary group, Katja Mast, demanded affidavits from Krah and the AfD member of the Bundestag Petr Bystron. “I think it would be good if both of them made an affidavit that they had nothing to do with the allegations. They’re not doing that and that speaks for itself,” said Mast in Berlin on Wednesday. Bystron is accused of a pro-Russian disinformation campaign and possible covert payments from Russia.
It is also currently being examined whether the rules and checks for all employees in the Bundestag need to be tightened in order to prevent infiltration by possible employees of foreign secret services. The fact that the AfD is foregoing an appearance by its top European candidate Krah at the start of the election campaign is a “remarkable event.”
On Thursday, at the request of the SPD, FDP and the Greens, there will be a current hour on the allegations in the German Bundestag with the title “Threat to our democracy – Russia, China and the role of the AfD”.