THE TELEGRAPH: Nicolas Sarkozy's campaign to find out who started rumours alleging he and his wife were having affairs threatened to spiral into an affair of state, amid reports claiming that his former justice minister was bugged to see whether she instigated them.
Mr Sarkozy said last month he did not have "half a minute" to spare on "idiotic" rumours over the state of his marriage after they appeared on Twitter and the blog on the website of a respected weekly newspaper.
But just when the buzz over the rumour that Carla Bruni-Sarkozy had an affair with the musician Benjamin Biolay while her husband sought solace in the arms of Chantal Jouanno, his ecology minister, began to fade, the presidents' aides launched a virulent counter-attack this week.
Pierre Charon, Mr Sarkozy's chief communication adviser, promised to wage a campaign of terror against rumour-mongers, apparently pointing the finger at the president's former justice minister, Rachida Dati, and suggesting there may be a concerted plot by foreign "financial" circles to discredit the president because he preaches regulating global capitalism. The name of Dominique de Villepin, Mr Sarkozy's arch-rival, was also thrown into the mix by other Elysée sources.
Yesterday, sources were claiming that French domestic intelligence had bugged the phone calls of Miss Dati, a fallen cabinet star and now the mayor of Paris' 7th arrondissement and an MEP, and surmised that she had either started or spread the rumours.
A government spokesman denied the bugging claims, but Mr Sarkozy's chief adviser yesterday said the president "does not want to see Rachida Dati anymore", apparently confirming he holds her at least in part responsible for the rumours. >>> Henry Samuel in Paris | Wednesday, April 07, 2010
Related / Liens en relation avec l’article:
LE FIGARO: Face aux rumeurs, Dati se dit «scandalisée» >>> Par figaro.fr le | Mercredi 07 Avril 2010
LE POINT: Rumeurs sur la vie privée du couple présidentiel : RÉACTION - Me Herzog, avocat de Sarkozy : "Je ne peux pas exclure que ce soit une machination" >>> Par Cyriel Martin | Mardi 06 Avril 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Carla Bruni attempts to calm storm over marriage rumours: The scandal surrounding rumours over the state of Nicolas Sarkozy's marriage last night threatened to spiral into an affair of state. >>> Henry Samuel in Paris | Wednesday, April 07, 2010
LE FIGARO: Rumeurs : pour Carla Sarkozy, «il n'y a pas de complot» : «Il n'y a pas de vengeance, ces rumeurs insignifiantes ne nous concernent en rien», assure la première dame, qui dément également l'existence d'une enquête sur l'origine des ragots. Une version contredite par le patron du renseignement intérieur. >>> Par Constance Jamet | Mercredi 07 Avril 2010
TIMES ONLINE: Nicolas Sarkozy pays for not letting rumour die: President Sarkozy’s attempts to quash rumours about problems in his marriage have backfired after his advisers spoke out about an international plot, blamed a glamorous former minister and ordered the state security service to investigate. >>> Charles Bremner, Paris | Thursday, April 08, 2010
