AfD
Espionage accusation: Maximilian Krah demands that his ex-employee leave the party “immediately”.
AfD politician Maximilian Krah speaks in Dresden on May 1st
© Maja Hitij / Getty Images
In the espionage scandal, AfD politician Maximilian Krah is calling for his former office employee Jian G to leave the party. The suspect was also an SPD member for several years.
AfD MEP Maximilian Krah calls on his ex-employee Jian G. to leave the party. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office is investigating G. on suspicion of spying for the People’s Republic of China and was arrested last week. “G. should leave the AfD immediately, if only to prevent further damage. If he doesn’t do that, a party expulsion process is inevitable,” Krah told the “Welt”. The AfD politician had already announced that he wanted to separate from the employee immediately.
Maximilian Krah was missing from the start of the European election campaign
“Jian G. worked for me mainly from Brussels, preparing the work in the international trade, transport and tourism and regional development committees. He worked quietly and efficiently. We have not had any contact since his arrest,” he told “Welt “. He knew of contacts with the Taiwanese representation, the Chinese embassy and the Chinese opposition. “But not to the extent we now know, so I didn’t notice a contradiction.”
Before his time in the AfD, G. was also a member of the SPD for “a few years,” like General Secretary Kevin Kühnert in the ntv show “beisenherz” had confirmed – According to information from the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” until 2015. He had no offices or functions there, said Kühnert.
After the employee’s arrest, Krah briefly refrained from campaigning. On May 1st he performed again: in his home state of Saxony in Chemnitz and Dresden. The AfD federal executive board member is also in focus because of possible connections to Russia and China. After media reports about possible monetary payments, the Dresden public prosecutor’s office is checking whether an investigation will begin.