Claus Hjort Frederiksen

Claus Hjort Frederiksen (born 4 September 1947) is a Danish politician of the Venstre party, who served as the Danish Minister for Defence from 2016–2019. He was Minister for Finance from June 2015 until November 2016, having previously served in same capacity from 7 April 2009 to 3 October 2011, as member of the Lars Løkke Rasmussen I Cabinet. From 2001 to 2009, he was Minister of Employment of Denmark in cabinets I II, and III of Anders Fogh Rasmussen. He is a member of the liberal party Venstre. He has been a member of parliament (Folketinget) since the 2005 Danish parliamentary election.

Frederiksen served as party secretary of Venstre 1985–2001, and as such he served as Fogh Rasmussen's closest advisor in creating the political program that eventually led to Fogh Rasmussen's ascent to the office of Prime Minister. The political program involved a closer relationship and dependency on the Danish People's Party and Frederiksen has notedly remarked that there exists a special community of values between said party and Venstre.

In 2009 radio journalist Jesper Tynell won the Cavling Prize for a series of 15 radiospots in DR P1's ”Orientering” showing [the]"minister's less democratic methods". Among the revelations were:

• Claus Hjort Frederiksen (as Minister of Employment) gave the parliament false information.
• The Minister abolished the requirements to foreign worker safety in dangerous jobs - in secret and outside parliament.
• The Ministry asked the municipal administers to rule (the so-called 300-hour rule) in an illegal manner.
• The Ministry ordered misleading figures from Arbejdsmarkedsstyrelsen to turn the public debate to their advantage.
• Officials deleted incriminating documents from the Ministry's own archives.

The broadcasts have not had any influence on Claus Hjort Frederiksen's career.