Overview

• Lars Klingbeil said he was irritated by Julia Klöckner equating Nius and the taz and announced he would talk to her about the remarks.
• Klöckner made the comparison in a speech at the CDU Koblenz summer event, saying the outlets' methods did not differ significantly.
• The event took place at CompuGroup Medical in Koblenz, a company owned by Frank Gotthardt, who co‑finances Nius.
• The taz publicly rejected the equivalence, Greens and the Left questioned Klöckner’s suitability for the presidency, and CDU’s Carsten Linnemann and FDP’s Wolfgang Kubicki defended her.
• Reports citing internal emails point to earlier contacts between Klöckner and Gotthardt in 2023, a developing issue fueling conflict‑of‑interest concerns.