Corona Pandemic - Lauterbach: Corona measures more than justified
The Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) is leaving unanswered demands by FDP Vice Wolfgang Kubicki for "personal consequences" for Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) in connection with the publication of the so-called Corona files of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). "The BMG does not comment on the statements by Mr. Kubicki," it simply stated upon request.
The ministry also quoted Lauterbach on the topic of "decision-making basis and decision-making authority" as follows: "There is nothing to hide in the RKI protocols. Therefore, I ordered the publication of the protocols. The RKI has issued recommendations during the pandemic. However, the political responsibility lies with the ministry. Despite the overall cautious strategy, more than 50,000 people still died of corona in Germany alone in 2022. Therefore, the measures were more than justified."
Kubicki sees political influence on RKI
After the publication of unredacted documents about the meetings of the corona crisis staff at the RKI by a journalist, Bundestag Vice President Kubicki demanded personal consequences from Lauterbach.
He accuses the health minister of having an "irresponsible attitude towards the truth" and refers, among other things, to a statement by Lauterbach from March, according to which the RKI had worked independently of political instruction. In Kubicki's view, however, the documents prove political influence. The RKI had artificially increased public pandemic pressure at the insistence of the BMG, wrote the FDP politician.
Protocols not yet officially published
The protocols of the crisis staff have not yet been officially released by the RKI itself. A group around a journalist, who counts among the critics of the corona policy of the federal government, had obtained the documents from a source at the institute, uploaded them to the internet in July, and also presented them at a press conference.
The RKI stated in this regard that it had neither checked nor verified the data sets. The institute intends to publish the protocols itself at a yet to be named time, according to statements by Lauterbach.
The papers show what the crisis staff discussed at its regular meetings during the corona period: current infection figures, international situation, vaccinations, tests, studies, or containment measures.
FDP Vice lists findings that are supposed to prove influence
Kubicki quotes parts of the documents published on the net, which, in his opinion, prove that influence was exerted on the RKI. For example, he mentions an entry dated 9 February 2022, under the point "Current risk assessment", which states: "The time of publication is dependent on the approval of the BMG, not before the MPK on 16.02.2022. A downgrading beforehand would possibly be interpreted as a de-escalation signal, therefore not politically desired."
Furthermore, an entry from 25 February 2022 is cited: "Reduction of the risk from very high to high was rejected by the BMG" and one from 20 April 2022: "In view of the BMG, the downgrading should initially be to high and not to moderate for strategic reasons."
Virologist Streeck demands a statement from Lauterbach
Bonn virologist Hendrik Streeck, who plans to run for the CDU in the 2025 federal election, told Bild that Lauterbach must comprehensively address the allegations against him stemming from the protocols. Kubicki accused his coalition partner of suppressing scientific findings to achieve political goals. "Such an accusation cannot be left unaddressed if Karl Lauterbach wants to remain Health Minister."
Spahn: Critics want 'a kind of people's court'
Kubicki also called for a parliamentary investigation into the Corona pandemic. Lauterbach's predecessor in office, Jens Spahn, also commented on this topic in the ARD's "Interview of the Week". We need to discuss what went wrong and look ahead to what we can learn from it, said the CDU politician, advocating for the establishment of a corresponding committee of inquiry in the Bundestag. "At the moment, I have the impression that some people don't want to talk about it at all, as if everything was somehow okay, and others - especially those who have always been critical - want to stage something like a people's court."
The debate surrounding the Corona files continues, with FDP Vice Wolfgang Kubicki accusing Health Minister Karl Lauterbach of political influence on the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), citing entries in the unredacted documents as evidence. Lauterbach's handling of the situation regarding the publication of the protocols of the crisis staff has been a topic of controversy, with calls for a parliamentary investigation into the Corona pandemic.
In the context of the controversy surrounding the Corona files, FDP Vice Wolfgang Kubicki points to entries in the unredacted documents from the RKI's crisis staff meetings as evidence of political influence. Kubicki alleges that the RKI artificially increased public pandemic pressure at the insistence of the BMG and accuses Health Minister Karl Lauterbach of an irresponsible attitude towards the truth.
