Patrick Graichen and Robert Habeck at a press conference in 2022
Image: picture alliance / Geisler-Fotopress
How could it happen that Robert Habeck’s State Secretary Patrick Graichen helped his best man to a managerial position? Some in the Chancellor’s Party see the critical view of the Greens as confirmed.
Can a state secretary of a federal ministry award a top post that he is involved in filling to his best man? And can he keep his boss, the minister, ignorant of this? Patrick Graichen, State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection and member of the Greens, did just that. Even his opponents in the Ministry concede that 51-year-old Graichen is an intelligent and farsighted person.
Eckhart Lohse
Head of the parliamentary editorial office in Berlin.
Follow
I follow
Markus Wehner
Political correspondent in Berlin.
Follow
I follow
So why did he do that? And why did he pull the emergency brake so late? Only at the beginning of last week did he inform Minister Robert Habeck that he was involved in his best man getting the job. In the meantime, Habeck, also a Green, and Graichen have admitted mistakes, the appeal process is being completely relaunched. According to the ministry, everything is “curable”. But the political damage remains: Graichen’s reputation has been tarnished, anti-corruption watchdogs and lobbyists criticize the process, the coalition partners grumble at traffic lights, the Union calls for Graichen’s dismissal. All of this also applies to Habeck.