Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) urged Tulsi Gabbard, the National Intelligence Director, to avoid sharing intelligence with German domestic agencies, particularly regarding the Alternative for Germany (AFD), which he described as a far-right party.
Cotton requested that Gabbard order US intelligence agencies to cease reporting to the Federal Bureau of Constitutional Protection (BFV) until Germany considers the AFD a legitimate opposition party rather than a “right-wing extremist organization.”
He also encouraged Gabbard to reject potential requests from Berlin to investigate the AFD and to consider how intelligence agencies might handle such inquiries during President Biden’s administration.
“Rather than undermining the AFD through authoritarian means, the next German government should recognize its election traction and focus on how to address citizens’ reasonable concerns,” Cotton wrote in a letter to Gabbard released on Wednesday.
After reaching out, Gabbard’s office did not immediately comment. Arkansas Republicans have pressed Gabbard to inform the Senate about the findings related to the review.
Cotton’s requests follow a BFV designation of the AFD as an extremist group, which emerged shortly after a three-year investigation indicated the party violated “basic principles” of the German constitution, allowing for increased scrutiny of political entities.
The BFV noted, “The essence of our assessment centers on the ethnic and ancestry-defined ideas promoted by the AFD, which undermine the dignity of the entire German populace,” highlighting the party’s anti-immigration and anti-Muslim positions.
This decision faced backlash from prominent figures in the Trump administration. Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticized the spying agency, suggesting that labeling the AFD as extremist represents “a form of disguised tyranny,” rather than democracy.
“The real threat is not the AFD, which secured second place in recent elections, but the disastrous open-border immigration policies they oppose,” Rubio stated on Friday.
Vice President Vance, who met AFD leader Alice Weidel in February, praised the party as the most representative of East Germany, claiming bureaucrats are attempting to undermine it.
“The West united to dismantle the Berlin Wall, and it was rebuilt—this time not by the Soviets or Russians, but by German authorities,” Vance remarked on Saturday.
The German Foreign Ministry defended its actions, stating the decision was based on a “thorough and independent investigation to uphold the constitution and rule of law.” The ministry emphasized that an independent court ultimately makes the final decisions, asserting the historical imperative to combat right-wing extremism.
