Interior Minister Nancy Faeser tried in the Bundestag to justify her behavior in the affair surrounding the dismissal of the former president of the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI). However, members of the opposition were not satisfied with their explanations about Arne Schönbohm’s personality. The Social Democrat Faeser said on Wednesday after a meeting of the Bundestag’s Interior Committee that her main goal at the time was to “avert damage to the BSI.”
She had been repeatedly accused of relieving the then BSI boss Schönbohm of his duties in the fall of 2022 after a critical television report without a valid reason.
The note from a high-ranking employee of your ministry still raises questions, said CDU MP Christoph de Vries. The internal note shows that the minister was probably dissatisfied with what the responsible department in her house had gathered during the preliminary disciplinary investigations into Schönbohm and had suggested that the search be carried out more thoroughly.
Faeser: Just gave an instruction to the Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Faeser now said that as part of the preliminary disciplinary investigation initiated by Schönbohm himself, an inquiry was made to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution in October 2022 as to whether there was any information against Schönbohm. She emphasized: “This was the only request to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, and there was no instruction from me to carry out a second one.”
This was confirmed by the head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Thomas Haldenwang. He said: “There were no further inquiries after October 22”. When asked whether findings about Schönbohm might have emerged as “bycatch” during the surveillance of other people, he replied: “We only have ‘saved’ or ‘not saved’.” Schönbohm was “not saved”.
Contacts with Russian circles
In a letter from the Federal Ministry of the Interior to the then BSI President, explicit reference was made to allegations that were spread after the ZDF program “Magazin Royale” was broadcast in October 2022. The letter then goes on to say: “In addition, there are a number of incidents in connection with the technical and personnel management of the office, which have also irreparably damaged the Minister’s trust in her administration.”
The ministry also refers to “allegations of excessively close contacts with Russian circles and companies,” which were made in the television program and subsequently in various media reports. “Regardless of how valid these are and whether they ultimately prove to be accurate, a loss of trust has occurred in public opinion, which makes continued office impossible and significantly impairs the BSI’s ability to fulfill its tasks in the eyes of the public,” it continues .
Schönbohm’s questionable contacts
When asked whether he had learned anything new about Schönbohm’s possible questionable contacts from the broadcast, FDP parliamentary group deputy Konstantin Kuhle answered “No”.
Faeser said that there had been serious technical differences between Schönbohm and the Federal Ministry of the Interior before the broadcast. In view of the increased threat in cyberspace caused by the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, it was important to her to install a leader who was above all doubt at the head of the Federal Office. The authority has been headed by IT expert Claudia Plattner since July. The removal of Schönbohm was “premature,” criticized the Union faction’s domestic policy spokesman, Alexander Throm (CDU).
FDP: Faeser is unfortunately “too late”
Before the committee meeting began, members of the coalition partners the Greens and the FDP also criticized the fact that the SPD politician was only now giving the committee information about the allegations made by the Union. Unfortunately, Faeser came “too late,” said FDP politician Kuhle. He called the allegations made by the Union “outrageous”. Faeser said she apologized for not attending the previous Interior Committee meeting.
