Chief Whip Andrew Mitchell has said he believes his row with Downing Street police officers has been "blown out of all proportion by the national media".
The MP is accused of calling police plebs and morons when they told him he could not take his bike through the main gates.
Speaking to a local newspaper, he said: "I have apologised and I hope it's possible to draw a line under it."
He added: "I think most people who know me know I would not use words like pleb or moron in describing anyone. I would gently point out that I did not say the words that have been ascribed to me."
In the front-page interview with the Sutton Coldfield Observer - a free weekly publication in his constituency - Mr Mitchell echoed his initial apology, admitting that he "did not treat police with the respect they deserve", and said he had "apologised profusely" to the officer involved.
He told the newspaper he has an "excellent relationship" with the police and regularly visits the local police station.
According to a 442-word police log - published in full in The Daily Telegraph - Mr Mitchell called officers "f****** plebs" and told them to "learn your f****** place".
The female officer who made the report said she warned him, if he continued to swear, she would have no option but to arrest him under the Public Order Act - a stance backed by Conservative London mayor Boris Johnson.
The MP's angry outburst last Wednesday came a day after two policewomen were killed in a gun and grenade attack in Greater Manchester.
