BERLIN, (Reuters) – German President Christian Wulff admitted yesterday making a “grave mistake” by trying to stop a paper publishing an embarrassing story about a home loan, but said he had no plans to resign.
The scandal that has swirled around Wulff since mid-December risks becoming a major distraction for Chancellor Angela Merkel as she tries to focus on solving the euro zone debt crisis.
Critics say it reflects badly on her judgement, as she pushed in 2010 for Wulff’s election to the ceremonial but influential post over a popular opposition candidate.
Wulff had remained silent since news broke on Monday that he had left a voicemail message last month for the editor of top-selling German daily Bild in which he threatened “war” if the paper published the article on his low interest-rate home loan.
But with pressure growing for him to step down, he arranged an interview with German public television stations ARD and ZDF on Wednesday to try to calm the storm.
“The call to the chief editor of Bild was a grave mistake, for which I am sorry and for which I apologise,” Wulff said, adding he had not done everything right, but had broken no laws.
