The sleaze runs deep

[David Morris]

https://www.politico.eu/article/german-social-democrats-face-more-heat-over-russian-energy-ties/

Germany's ruling Social Democrats are facing fresh pressure over their
links to Moscow after accusations that a regional leader worked with
Kremlin-backed energy giant Gazprom to undermine U.S. sanctions and spread
Russian propaganda.

The allegations center on Manuela Schwesig, a senior member of Chancellor
Olaf Scholz's SPD party.  [•••] political heat on Schwesig has been growing
since documents obtained by Welt newspaper showed
<https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/plus238086779/Klimastiftung-Wie-sich-Schwesig-von-Nord-Stream-2-einspannen-liess.html>
her
government cooperated closely with the company Nord Stream 2 AG, a
subsidiary of Gazprom, as it tried to complete the project in the face of
American sanctions. The documents showed that a foundation backed by the
company and the regional government, supposedly meant to champion
environmental causes, was a vehicle to circumvent the U.S. measures.