Leaked AfD Emails Show Weidel Distanced Herself From Höcke

Leaked internal emails from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) indicate that party leader Alice Weidel repeatedly drew a line between herself and the party's right-wing camp, including Björn Höcke, between 2015 and 2017, according to WELT. The German outlet reported on the correspondence on Thursday.

According to WELT's account, the messages show Weidel distancing herself in internal exchanges during those years. The report contrasts that with her present public posture, which WELT describes as markedly different.

The emails are part of a wider set of leaked AfD material that has drawn coverage across German media. NDR reported that roughly 60,000 emails from the party's Mecklenburg-Vorpommern branch reveal internal disputes and confidential government plans. T-Online reported that party members reacted with concern and anger after the data leak became known.

Other outlets have picked up different threads from the same material. FOCUS online reported on a proposal involving Trigema, the German clothing company, and DIE ZEIT covered the leak in its news podcast, focusing on a pollster and the party.

The disclosures put internal party dynamics back in the spotlight at a time when the AfD's leadership has presented a more unified front publicly. WELT's reporting suggests the historical record inside the party's own inboxes tells a different story about Weidel's relationship with its right-wing figures.

What to watch next: whether the AfD leadership responds to the published emails, and whether further material from the leak surfaces.