Why Germany's Government Can Spy on a Political Party

The Reichstag building, which houses the German Bundestag on May 4, 2025. Hauke Schröder/picture alliance via Getty Images hide caption

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Hauke Schröder/picture alliance via Getty Images

The Reichstag building, which houses the German Bundestag on May 4, 2025.

Hauke Schröder/picture alliance via Getty Images

Germany's biggest opposition political party, the nationalist and anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party, has been designated "extremist" by the country's domestic intelligence agency. That means the German government can tap party members' phones and hire informants to monitor them, in a measure meant to ensure that the party is not a threat to democracy. U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have both criticized this move. But it is something the German constitution allows and that constitution was shaped by the United States. Our correspondent in Germany looks into how and why this came about.