German chancellor’s reputation could be at stake as scandal grows over support for NSA spying on European businesses and officials Angela Merkel’s reputation as an unassailable chancellor is under threat amid mounting pressure for her to reveal how much she knew about a German-supported US spying operation on European companies and officials.The onus on her government to deliver answers over the spying scandal has only increased with the announcement by the Austrian government that it has filed a legal complaint against an unnamed party, over “covert intelligence to the detriment of Austria”.