President trades blows with paper over loan scandal

GERMANY’S president and its biggest-selling newspaper traded blows last night over whether he tried to prevent it from publishing a report on a controversial private loan, adding to the embattled head of state’s troubles.

President Christian Wulff has faced intense pressure to explain himself since it emerged that he left an angry message on December 12 on the voicemail of Bild newspaper’s editor-in-chief Kai Diekmann — the day before the story appeared.

Wulff was Chancellor Angela Merkel’s candidate for the presidency and is a former deputy leader of her conservative party. A resignation would be embarrassing and distracting for Merkel as she tries to tame the eurozone debt crisis.