(April 30, 2007) “The goal of this smear campaign, I believe, is to create a self-fulfilling prophecy that I am an ineffective leader and must step down for that reason alone, even if the ethics charges are unwarranted.” – Paul Wolfowitz

Paul D. Wolfowitz declared vigorously today that it would be “unjustly and frankly hypocritical” for the World Bank’s board of directors to find him guilty of ethical lapses. But he also hinted that he would discuss whether to resign as bank president if the board clears him of misconduct.

Appearing before a subcommittee of the board today and going on the attack after weeks of public silence, Mr. Wolfowitz also charged today that he had been the victim of “orchestrated leaks of false, misleading, incomplete and personal information” that were “part of a conscious campaign to undermine my effectiveness as president.”

“The goal of this smear campaign, I believe, is to create a self-fulfilling prophecy that I am an ineffective leader and must step down for that reason alone, even if the ethics charges are unwarranted,” he said, adding that his resignation under such circumstances would send a “terrible message,” making an impossible situation for any successor.

“I, for one, will not give in to such tactics,” he said. “And I will not resign in the face of a plainly bogus charge of conflict of interest.”

The defiant response of the beleaguered bank president left unclear what would happen next.

The bank’s board was expected to deliberate later today and possibly into next week, but many bank officials speculated that the affair may yet end with some kind of declaration of good faith for Mr. Wolfowitz, as part of a deal in which he resigns.

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Steven R. Weisman, The New York Times, April 30, 2007