STORAGE (Dagbladet): – Bjørnar Moxnes lied to me.

Rødt acting leader Marie Sneve Martinussen recounts for the first time the communication with Bjørnar Moxnes after the infamous theft of sunglasses came to light.

– He didn’t tell me the whole truth. And you have to call it a lie, she further tells Dagbladet.

– How did you handle it?

– Then I got angry and frustrated. Pissed off is perhaps an even better word for how I felt.

Bjørnar Moxnes announced this morning that he is stepping down as leader of Rødt’s party. The reason is the theft of his sunglasses and the way he handled the scandal.

Reprimand Moxnes

Sneve Martinussen now temporarily assumes the leading position.

– Now I get a single task to test the work and see if I want to have it permanently. In that case, I will register as a candidate for the extraordinary national meeting which will take place later this fall, she said.

The common thread running through Rødt’s press conference today was: Bjørnar Moxnes isn’t just resigning because of the theft, he’s also (and perhaps mostly) resigning because of the untruths that were later aired publicly and in internal.

– It became more difficult for me to do my job as deputy leader when I didn’t have an overview of Bjørnar. I told him clearly what I thought, says Sneve Martinussen again to Dagbladet.

– You first described the case as comical?

– At first I thought it was an oversight, walking out of a store with sunglasses. It could have happened to anyone and it’s just comical. Eventually, it turned out that wasn’t how the sunglasses ended with Bjørnar. Then the matter got much more serious, she says

goes away

I have not asked

There was major drama when Rødt hastily called a press conference shortly after Moxnes announced his resignation.

Moxnes is on sick leave and did not attend the press session. He was first praised by Sneve Martinussen, but the flute soon took on a different sound:

– As a politician, you have to be trustworthy and tell the truth if you do something stupid, said Sneve Martinussen.

She was asked what label she would give a politician who steals and then lies, and the answer made the press laugh:

– For now, I would probably call it ‘taking a Bjørnar Moxnes’, Rødt’s new manager said.

You should ditch the sunglasses

Sneve Martinussen says he believes in forgiveness and that working with parliamentary representative Bjørnar Moxnes will therefore do well when she takes over as boss from now on.

– Bjørnar has done an outstanding job at the Storting for the Reds and will continue to do so, she says.

– But Bjørnar should expect some banter at his expense at the Storting.

– How?

– He is happy to wear sunglasses, but the question is whether he will not reconsider this decision in the future, she says.

– So you stole something?

– No, I thought it over and discovered that I had never flown. Not even in childhood, where it can be hard to resist, she says.

– And before you ask. I bought the glasses I wear myself and they were very expensive. Glasses are far too expensive in this country, says Rødt’s new manager.