Another German President Going Down

[kato]

When the Greeks tell us they never took any money from us.

[snapper]

When they going to raid the Greek offices?

[kato]

Regarding the Wulff affair itself, the press has now unearthed that Wulff used to be a partner with the lawyer group who represented Geerkens in multiple cases, last time in 2004. Geerkens also provided the offices of this group until 2007. Wulff's contract as a freelancing partner of the group was only dissolved last year; the lawyer group claims that while Wulff's name was still on their letterhead Wulff didn't actively work with them since 1994.
This is important because it's another tidbit Wulff omitted when questioned by the Lower Saxon State Parliament about past business relations with Geerkens.

The case regarding the credit Wulff took out with bwBank after switching off of Geerken's private credit - and the favourable conditions Wulff received - will probably soon be taken up again for criminal proceedings. The Stuttgart district attorney office' closing of the case was answered with two separate formal complaints, so their superiors in the state judicial structure are currently deciding whether to reopen the case. In this case officials of bwBank are accused of misappropriation while Wulff is accused of (effectively) corruption.

[kato]

How do you search parts of the Office?

The Presidential Office is an office complex next to the Presidential Residence (Schloss Bellevue). In the pic below the Residence is in front, the Office is the oval building in the background.



Police only searched Glaeseker's former offices within the office complex.

[Doktor]

In an unprecedented move in the history of the Federal Republic oarts of the Presidential Office were searched today. Agents combed through the former offices of Glaeseker there and confiscated files and computers.

How do you search parts of the Office?

Anyway, this is good move I guess, shows everyone is reachable.

[kato]

In an unprecedented move in the history of the Federal Republic parts of the Presidential Office were searched today. Agents combed through the former offices of Glaeseker there and confiscated files and computers.

[kato]

In a separate corruption affair the offices and private home of former Wulff spokesman Glaeseker were searched this week. Glaeseker was sacked by Wulff in the middle of his own affair above in late December without publishing reasons for it.

Glaeseker is suspected of taking out free stays at vacation homes of an event manager (Schmidt) in return for providing funds for a series of political events managed by Schmidt. Wulff's ex-wife is also suspected of having taken advantage in the same manner.

[kato]

Press is currently digging one little irrelevant tidbit after another - and of course publishing it all:
- Wulff got a hotel suite upgrade in 2008 paid for by some businessman
- there's suspicion he might have used frequent-flier miles from his "business account" to upgrade private flights
- apparently a few weeks ago his wife leased a car with *gasp* a 1.2% interest rate instead of the standard 1.5%.

Today the president has finally released his answers to some 500 questions raised by journalists regarding past and current expenses etc. Filling 240 pages in German (small print), the whole thing is available here. Wulff's office tried to get around answering these for the past weeks, attempting multiple angles of evasion such as "we can't publish the questions since they are under the copyright of the journalists who asked them" (lol). About one third of the questions raised are from editors of various Springer press houses, such as Bild and Welt. The published documents still contain about 5% censored items.

[kato]

The worst thing is, the events that took place are not bad enough to force him out of office it is rather the way the president dealt with them.

He can't be forced out of office anyway. In order for him to be forcibly removed, he'd have to be charged with violating a federal law or the Basic Law, and the parliament (or the Supreme Court) would still have to find a two-thirds majority against him.

Btw, Spiegel Online International feature site about him with articles in English:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/...ristian_wulff/

[dirk90]

The story broke during the holidays, since the news circle is going pretty slow at this time it kind of blew out of proportion.

The worst thing is, the events that took place are not bad enough to force him out of office it is rather the way the president dealt with them.
His calls and interviews since have been horrible and him being in a position with no power but moral standing and representing the country makes it even worse.

[Tarek Morgen]

I almost wish that the FDP will try to present a successor from their own ranks. It would be fun to watch.

[kato]

SPD seems to be split over how to handle it right now, with the various factions within its leaderships going different ways: Sigmar Gabriel, the CEO of the SPD, wants to offer the CDU a grand coalition for finding a successor to Wulff, while Andrea Nahles, the general secretary, is calling for a Bundestag reelection if Wulff resigns.

Wulff himself is encountering a slow broil of increasing resistance within his own party, with more and more CDU representatives no longer backing him.

[kato]

Georg Schramm is more than a mere Kabarettist... he's pretty much the president of political satire in Germany.

As for a wider conflict - nah. Bild is traditionally pro-Wulff. Maybe his wife's pregnant again and they aren't sharing or something like that.

[Doktor]

Sure. The problem is that he brought it on himself. You do not take on Springer and survive in office. Much like you do not take on Spiegel and survive in office. There's already some people here and there calling it the Springer Affair and comparing it to the 1962 Spiegel Affair.

Sure. That's how Spiegel got name ;)
I meant something else then the obvious (current) conflict between AS and Wulff.

I like this picture from the protest btw:
[ATTACH]27942[/ATTACH]
;)

Kabarett artist for president? Hmm...

[Parihaka]

Damn, and here I thought it was going to be a celebrity porn clip