Jeremy Hunt is giving evidence to the Leveson inquiry today and is expected to be grilled over his relationship with News Corporation.
The culture secretary is under intense pressure from Labour to quit his job amid accusations that he acted as Rupert Murdoch's "cheerleader" within government while he was supposed to be an impartial adjudicator of News Corp's bid to take control of BSkyB.
Labour has accused Hunt of misleading parliament over the issue - a breach of the rules that would force his resignation or dismissal.
In April 2012 Hunt told the Commons that he had not sought to influence the outcome of the bid whilst the responsibility lay with business secretary Vince Cable.
However it later emerged that despite legal advice not to, he had in fact written the prime minister in November 2010 urging Cameron to intervene to ensure News Corp's bid was approved.
Hunt will no doubt be asked to explain how this did not conflict with his later statement to the Commons.
Hunt's office has also been accused of providing News Corp with an "inappropriate" running commentary on its bid to take over BSkyB including giving it advance sight of a parliamentary statement.
Hunt's special adviser, Adam Smith, was forced to resign after admitting he had gone too far in his contacts with News Corporation while the culture department was judging the company's bid.
The culture secretary has maintained that while he authorised Smith to speak to News Corp, he did not sanction the level of information that was exchanged.
Critics of Hunt insist that the letter of the ministerial code means responsibility for the actions of special advisers rests with the minister who appointed them.
Even if Smith did act entirely on his own accord, Hunt will be asked to account for how he let one of his closest advisers get it so wrong.
Hunt is also likely to be questioned on a series of embarrassing text messages exchanged with News Corp lobbyist Fred Michel that suggest a relationship that was more than professional.
Several messages made public to the inquiry reveal the two men jokingly referring to each other as "daddy" and "mon ami" after they both became fathers.
He may also be asked about the equally awkward incident where he was reported to have hidden behind a tree to avoid being seen by members of the press as he tried to slip into an event in order to meet James Murdoch.
David Cameron has refused to launch an inquiry into whether Hunt breached the ministerial code until after Hunt gives his evidence to Leveson.
However the door has been left open to such an investigation if the culture secretary is not deemed to have cleared his name following his appearance today.
In the event, as with his former special adviser, it may be that the perception or wrong doing rather than the actual fact of it that may bit by bit be his undoing.