This is called pawn sacrifice. It is not State Secretary Patrick Graichen (Greens), who helped his best man to a leadership post in the federal company DENA, who is looking down the tube, but the friendly candidate himself. Allegedly, Michael Schäfer (Greens) is giving up the job to take Graichen and Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) out of the line of fire.
He does not even want to accept severance pay, although he has nothing to reproach himself with. After all, Graichen, as part of the search committee, should have disclosed the close relationship. Schäfer's behavior sounds loyal, but it shows all the more how closely connected, even muddled, the green relations are and that it is about politics and closeness and not about qualifications.
It goes without saying that the DENA Supervisory Board wants to take into account all governing parties – not just the Green Party – in the new selection committee and this time ensure that "there are no actual or potential conflicts of interest of any kind"! The "green ribbon of sympathy" is badly tarnished.