Helicopter scandal surrounding Christine Lambrecht: was the son allowed to fly?

Christine Lambrecht traveled to northern Germany to visit troops. Her son sat with him on the plane. After that it was apparently on vacation to Sylt. The defense minister, who has been criticized, has apparently not yet settled the bill.

It’s war in Ukraine, state election campaign in Schleswig-Holstein and only about 14 degrees on the holiday island of Sylt: Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) and her 21-year-old son left their office in Berlin for northern Germany in a government helicopter on April 13 to pay a troop visit to the Battalion Electronic Warfare 911 in Stadum – experts in electronic reconnaissance of possible opponents. The next day and after an overnight stay in a hotel, the car and bodyguards from the Federal Criminal Police Office drove to the nearby island of Sylt.

The Ministry of Defense (BMVg) rejected criticism of the son traveling with him. The minister had applied for a ride in a government helicopter and “accepted 100 percent of the costs in accordance with the guideline,” said a spokesman in Berlin on Monday. In the case of the Lambrecht son, 100 percent of the price of a comparable scheduled flight was paid. Measured against this, the “federal interest” was obviously at least minor, if it needs to be justified at all. The directive is formulated in a sufficiently open manner.

The passenger list was therefore available to the office of State Secretary Margaretha Sudhof, who brought Lambrecht from the Justice Department. The office plans, controls and initiates the flights of government aircraft. The Bundeswehr itself only executes.

Report: Lambrecht has not yet paid any costs

Lambrecht, as Minister of Defense, is entitled to make requests for aircraft that are ready to fly if the trip is carried out in the course of an official activity, and determines the persons accompanying them, “who have to bear different cost rates depending on the federal interest,” said the spokesman. And: “Flight and reimbursement of costs therefore took place in full compliance with the guidelines for the use of aircraft of the BMVg flight readiness.” It is not known how high the reimbursement was.

In principle, members of the government are allowed to take family members with them. However, if there is no official reason for the trip, the costs must be reimbursed.

As reported by the “Bild” newspaper, the ministry backtracked on Tuesday. So nothing has been paid yet. “The cost statement is currently being prepared. This is an administrative process that is expected to take some time. Therefore, no information can currently be given on the amount of the costs incurred,” the ministry was quoted as saying.

According to “Welt”, the SPD politician apparently wanted to prevent the process from becoming known. In response to a request from the newspaper, the unofficial information was given that the fully qualified lawyer Lambrecht reserved the right to take legal action against possible reporting, it said in one

Message.

Critical reactions: “Do not confuse the Air Force with Lufthansa”

When the details of the trip became known through a report by “Business Insider”, criticism rained down. It’s not just the malicious comments on the Internet that revolve around the term “helicopter mother” on Tuesday, which actually describes an overreaching, well-meaning compulsion to control in upbringing.

The opposition in the Bundestag accuses Lambrecht of “maximum clumsiness”. The first parliamentary manager of the CDU, Thorsten Frei, told the “Bild” with the words: “Using the Bundeswehr for private and party-political purposes is unstylish.” Instead, Lambrecht should “show more tact as the holder of command and command authority and do not confuse the Air Force with Lufthansa.” CSU regional group leader Alexander Dobrindt said to Lambrecht: “You would do well to ensure transparency as soon as possible.”

The AfD politician Stephan Brandner criticized: “The Bundeswehr’s readiness to fly is not a holiday airline.” Whether you pay yourself is “it doesn’t matter at all”. The case shows “how detached the federal government is in the truest sense of the word”.

Video: Discussion about the flight of Lambrecht’s son

Bundestag Vice President Wolfgang Kubicki (FDP) considers the flight to be ultimately acceptable. “If the reports are correct that all fees due have been paid properly, then Minister Lambrecht and her son have acted within the framework of the law and the relevant regulations,” he told the editorial network Germany. “One may consider this process to be insensitive or clumsy.” But one cannot accuse anyone of their lawful behavior.

The chairwoman of the defense committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), said on Monday on the Welt television channel that she could not yet comment on this, but that it was an unusual process. Strack-Zimmermann: “I can’t judge what kind of flight it was, whether the minister was on the road anyway. The whole thing is not really correct, we all know that.” She assumes that the minister can explain the case.

Christine Lambrecht has been repeatedly criticized since the Russian attack on Ukraine. She was accused of acting too hesitantly.

Not the first trip with son Alexander

Business Insider reported that Lambrecht’s 21-year-old son flew in a government helicopter for an Easter holiday with his mother. After the visit to the troops, the minister drove to Sylt together with bodyguards from the Federal Criminal Police Office. According to the report, there were already other trips by the son. At the request of

„Bild“ confirmed the Ministry of Justice that Lambrecht, as Minister of Justice, flew with her son to Slovenia, Helsinki, Lisbon and Paris, among other places, but always at private expense.

However, the current trip to the island of Sylt did not remain completely private. Lambrecht and the President of the Bundestag Bärbel Bas, who was also present, also used the short stay to support the SPD candidate for the state parliament, Hendrik Schwind-Hansen, in Westerland. On Easter Saturday, the two prominent election workers stood by the SPD candidate at the campaign stand. Both top politicians spontaneously followed the campaign team’s request and confirmed their participation almost 24 hours before the visit.

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