The events in the finance ministry had nothing to do with him, he hardly knew the people involved – above all Thomas Schmid – at the time. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (VP) defended himself on Wednesday evening in the Zib2 studio. It is precisely on this aspect that the report on the “Findings from the data evaluation in relation to the so-called Beinschab Österreich Tool” of the WKStA devotes a separate chapter. And lists a number of messages from 2016 that suggest a very close relationship: “The chat history shows that Sebastian Kurz and Thomas Schmid have been good friends for many years.” In fact, contact has never been broken since 2014. As proof, the WKStA lists appointments for joint hikes:
Kurz am 23. May 2015: „Is there a hike on Saturday? Lg Sebastian ”
Schmid to Kurz and Jochen Danninger, then State Secretary for Finance, on May 23, 2016: “Hi boys, the tour is organized.”
Personal congratulations are exchanged on birthdays and on special occasions, and Kurz thanked Schmid several times for his friendship.
Briefly to Schmid am 28.8.2016: “Thank you for your congratulations and our friendship! Al Sebastian “
Schmid to Kurz am 27.8.2018: “What you did is so awesome! Thank you for your trust! I will always support you as much as I can! “
Briefly answers: “Thank you, thank you Thomas for all your support! AL “
But not only personal matters were exchanged, also professional matters – especially when it came to discussing strategies. As an example, the WKStA lists a chat about negotiations about the bank levy and a legal right to afternoon care at the end of June 2016:
Schmid to Kurz: “We have to be careful with banks. They want to continue discussing and deciding on Monday – HBK (meaning Federal Chancellor Kern) and HVK (meaning Vice Chancellor Mitterlehner) and Mahrer and Co! Goal 1.2 billion for afternoon care with legal entitlement and agreement between the federal government and municipalities without states! Mega explosives!
Short: “Not good at all!!! How can you stop that? “
Schmid: “I’m just terrorizing Mahrer and Kaszanits and making that clear to them. I’m not sitting in there. Unfortunately”
Short: “You’re welcome. Can I incite a federal state? “
Schmid: “We should – we will also send your people the information today”
Also reported anger about Mitterlehner Shortly immediately to Schmid: “Today I had quite a heavy phone call with HVK. He doesn’t understand my concern, everything is going well anyway and the polls don’t impress him? .) “
The WKSta sees in the friendship a “clear superior and subordinate relationship”. Kurz evidently reprimanded Schmid very clearly once. Schmid thanked him for this and apologized for his carelessness. Apparently he’d been talking too frankly about internals.
Schmid: “I am one of your Praetorians who doesn’t cause problems but solves them”
With this, Schmid presents himself as a “loyal bodyguard”, the WKStA concludes.
Schmid also exchanges ideas with Kurz on personnel issues in the formation of the turquoise-blue coalition, Kurz instructs him, among other things, to “pretend”. The possible candidates were then rated and classified as “controllable” or not.
In itself, of course, this private relationship is neither punishable nor problematic. In the light of the “Beinschab Austria Tool” and the resulting investigations into infidelity and corruption, the “special relationship of trust” is of essential importance for the WKStA, as the report explains. It is “the basis for their cooperation or the activities of Schmid and in favor of Kurz in the area of the leg scraper AUSTRIA tool and the media and advertising cooperation agreement with the Meiden of the Fellner Group and therefore relevant to the assessment of the role of both”.
