Habeck with his State Secretary Graichen
Image: Picture Alliance
The Greens would be well advised not to shout “campaign!” now. This has gotten bad for them when dealing with Baerbock’s plagiarism.
Robert Habeck has a problem. His most important state secretary has given a close friend a top job and now everyone is talking about green felt. But first things first: The State Secretary, Patrick Graichen, is the man behind Habeck’s energy transition and a passionate advocate of the heat pump. He is also the brother-in-law of Michael Kellner, also State Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and the brother of Verena and Jakob Graichen, who in turn are involved in the energy transition in eco-institutes and environmental organizations close to the party.
Those involved were well aware of the pitfalls in family relationships, which is why Patrick Graichen himself was not allowed to place any orders with his siblings’ organisations. But when his best man applied for the chair of the German Energy Agency, the state secretary apparently lost his compass in the proliferating labyrinth of personal relationships. As the most powerful head of a four-person selection committee, he screened out more and more applicants until only his best man remained.