OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada on Thursday spoke directly about the political controversy that has consumed the country for the past month, saying that there had been a breakdown in trust and communication but that he had done nothing wrong.

While Mr. Trudeau has made saying sorry a regular ritual of his office, he declined to do so in this case. Bluntly asked by a reporter in the packed national press gallery in Ottawa if he was apologizing, he said no — though indirectly.

“In regards to standing up for jobs and defending the integrity of law, I continue to say that there was no inappropriate pressure,” he said.

In the brewing political crisis, the prime minister and his staff have been depicted as inappropriately and repeatedly pressuring his justice minister and attorney general, Jody Wilson-Raybould, to settle a corporate criminal case that they believed threatened Canadian jobs.