Left boss Wissler sees a problem

Left-wing MP Sahra Wagenknecht earned almost 800,000 euros during this legislative period. That’s a problem, says the party leader.

She should be one of the top earners in the Bundestag: In the current legislative period, Sahra Wagenknecht, member of the Left Party, earned almost 800,000 euros in addition to her diet.

Linke boss Janine Wissler has now sharply criticized the high additional income. “When MPs have tens of thousands of euros in extra income and even take money from the Swiss financial industry, plus well-paid podiums and lectures in business, that’s a problem,” Wissler told the newspapers of the Funke media group.

Members of the Bundestag should do their work in parliament, in committees and in the constituency, and left-wing politicians should also be present at strikes and protests. “That has to be a priority, that also applies to Sahra Wagenknecht.”

Wagenknecht received more than 720,000 euros from Campus Verlag, in which her book “The Self-Righteous” was published in 2021. Her journalistic activities make up the lion’s share: in addition to the royalties for her work, she also earned a further 15,000 euros, including with columns for “Focus Online”. Wagenknecht has also earned more than 55,000 euros since 2021 with lectures. Six pieces, five of them in Switzerland. This is shown by data published by the Bundestag on the left-wing politician’s MPs page.

Last June, the Bundestag introduced stricter transparency rules in response to the so-called mask affair. Members of the Bundestag now have to disclose their additional income down to the cent and thus be much more precise than before. In addition, additional income from as little as 1,000 euros per month or 3,000 euros per year must be reported to the President of the Bundestag. Before that, the annual limit was 10,000 euros.

MEPs are now no longer allowed to accept monetary donations or engage in paid lobbying activities. By Easter 2023, the information should be available on every member’s page.