WikiLeaks first victim appears German diplomat
German foreign minister's chief of staff has taken time off following the revelation he was the unidentified official cited in U.S. dispatches made public by WikiLeaks who shared information with American diplomats, his political party said Friday.
Helmut Metzner took vacation time after it was disclosed he was the source described in dispatches by U.S. Ambassador Philip Murphy, according to an official with the Free Democrats party, who spoke on customary condition of anonymity.
Such a step is usually a precursor to resignation, though German media speculated that Metzner would get another job in the party that is headed by Guido Westerwelle, the country's foreign minister.
Murphy described Metzner a "young up-and-coming" FDP member who disclosed details of coalition negotiations with Chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU after 2009 elections.