Lauterbach at Lanz: What an irritating appearance

Anyone who saw Karl Lauterbach on "Markus Lanz" on Thursday evening could have gotten the impression that the former health minister was having fun. The discussion focused on the mask deals of his predecessor, Jens Spahn – a very serious matter, in which billions of taxpayers' money were likely wasted and for which the federal government is still embroiled in numerous lawsuits with companies. Lauterbach, however, kept grinning and giggling. The billions wasted; the fortune hunters who enriched themselves in times of need; the currently discussed investigation report, which has been blacked out beyond recognition – was all of it somehow funny? It was an irritating appearance.

What was particularly disconcerting was how the former minister presented himself in the ZDF studio as a knight of transparency. While he was occasionally amused, he also clearly expressed his incomprehension at the way the so-called Sudhof Report is now being handled. This is the report that Lauterbach commissioned former State Secretary Margaretha Sudhof to prepare during his time as minister to shed light on the mask deals of the Corona years, and which his successor, Nina Warken (CDU), has now submitted rather reluctantly and with extensive redactions to the Bundestag's Budget Committee. The message of his television appearance was clear: Lauterbach would have done things differently, more transparently.

But he didn't – and therein lies the problem. Lauterbach himself stated that he had the Sudhof report at the end of his term. So he could have published it himself long ago, but he failed to do so.

To what extent was the desire for enlightenment the driving force behind this approach?

That's not all. The entire self-awareness he displays regarding the need for clarification demonstrates what a pathetic transparency knight Lauterbach is. Without a doubt, Spahn's expensive deals deserve to be investigated, ideally by a committee of inquiry. Lauterbach's role, however, should not be overlooked.

You have to look at the entire process from the beginning. Early in his time as minister, Lauterbach promised clarification of the mask deals, but initially contributed precious little . He only ordered a report on the events far too late - after all, he, the SPD politician, commissioned an SPD colleague of all people to primarily investigate the official dealings of his CDU predecessor. How much did the desire for clarification really motivate this approach? Sudhof apparently never spoke to Spahn himself during her research. Lauterbach explained on Lanz that she had not spoken to anyone with political responsibility - without explaining why his predecessor as Health Minister could not have contributed to the matter that directly affected him.

Ultimately, Lauterbach kept the report in his drawer. He passed the toxic document on to his successor, who now begins her term under strain: The public expects clarification, but his fellow party member Spahn—as the leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, the second most powerful man in the CDU—should somehow be protected from attacks. His affair is now hers, too.

No, the former minister is not fighting for transparency

And Lauterbach? He mocked all the redactions Warken had made in the TV studio. Of all people, he did it! The extensive redactions of the Corona protocols from the Robert Koch Institute , which was under his control, took place during his term in office – documents to which the public was entitled under the Freedom of Information Act (IFG), but which first had to be released through legal action. What's more, the Ministry of Health itself trampled on freedom of information during Lauterbach's term in office . The information procedures under the IFG took a year or more, although the law was supposed to be completed in one or two months. To be fair, because of the interest in pandemic policy, there were a lot of requests for information during Lauterbach's term in office, and the relevant experts in his ministry were overworked. But a minister committed to providing information could have adjusted resources to meet demand – Lauterbach did not.

On Lanz, he now had the privilege of being one of the first to read the – unredacted – Sudhof report months ago. He chatted openly about how former Chancellor Olaf Scholz was mentioned in it (in his words, it's hardly worth mentioning). When Lanz repeatedly asked him what it said about him, Lauterbach cheerfully refused to answer.

No, the former minister isn't waging a fight for transparency. He's pursuing an economic stimulus program for political disenchantment.

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