750,000 euros fee – Left boss criticizes Wagenknecht's additional income

Left leader Janine Wissler has criticized the high additional income of the former parliamentary group leader Sahra Wagenknecht. "When MPs earn tens of thousands of euros on the side 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."

Last year, Wagenknecht earned around 750,000 euros in book and speaking fees in addition to her parliamentary allowances, as was announced on Tuesday. Of this, however, a good 721,000 euros alone was the gross fee for her bestseller “The Self-Righteous” – a book in which she settled accounts with so-called lifestyle leftists and parts of her own party.

The dispute between Wagenknecht and the party leadership over Wissler had recently come to a head since Wagenknecht had announced that they would decide to found their own party by the end of the year.

In addition to the book fee, payments from Burda Forward GmbH, Munich (EUR 6420 gross), Swiss Rock Asset Management AG, Zurich (EUR 10,000 gross) and the Efficiency Club Zurich (EUR 4042.42 gross) are listed for the past year a cancellation fee from DekaBank (7735 euros gross). For 2023, 9985.02 euros gross are listed by the supporters of the debate magazine "Swiss Month" for a salon evening in Zurich.

In 2021, Wagenknecht received 14,280 euros gross for a contribution to an entrepreneurs' day in Switzerland as well as 10,000 euros gross from the Swiss Institute for International Research (SIAF) and 9630 euros gross from the Focus Online Group GmbH, Munich. Wagenknecht's office confirmed the income to "Spiegel".

Meanwhile, Wagenknecht confirmed to the "Stern" that she would not give in in the dispute with her party. In an interview, Wagenknecht rejected the accusation that her public speculation about founding her own left-wing party was a shame. "Unfortunately, the left destroyed itself without me," said Wagenknecht. She reiterated that she wanted to make a decision on a new party under her leadership by the end of the year.

Wagenknecht added that it would be difficult for her to campaign for the Left Party at the moment. "I can't campaign for a left that isn't even ready to support a big peace rally without bending over backwards," she said.

She was referring to the rally she helped initiate to mark the anniversary of the Russian attack on Ukraine in February; The left-wing had criticized the call and the rally because of the lack of distance from Russia and the lack of differentiation from right-wing forces.

The leaders of the Left Party asked Wagenknecht on Monday to immediately distance himself from plans to found his own party. The fact that Wagenknecht was playing publicly with the idea of ​​founding a party was "damaging to the party" and "disrespectful to the many thousands of local members," said Left Party leader Martin Schirdewan.

However, the left leadership left open what will happen if the MP does not comply with the request.