Jaffer's alleged boast about access 'absurd'There are, of course, reasons to investigate this story further. But to all appearances, Jaffer is basically one notch above "drooling simpleton" on the malfeasance scale. So if one con was out to con another, I don't think it necessarily implicates the government in this case.
The Prime Minister's Office has dismissed a disgraced former MP's alleged boasts to his business contacts about access to Stephen Harper's inner circle as "false" and "absurd."
The Toronto Star published an article Thursday alleging Rahim Jaffer, husband of junior cabinet minister Helena Guergis, dined and drank with several prospective clients and prostitutes Sept. 10 — the night of his arrest on charges of drunk driving and cocaine possession.
(Waiting for someone to accuse me of raving Tory sympathies.)
2 comments:
"So if one con was out to con another, I don't think it necessarily implicates the government in this case".
But wasn't this basically what happened with the Adscam affair? I stand corrected but my impression that of the handful of people who were implicated there were both Libs and Cons members (might not be active ones, not sure). What is clear is that it did not stop the Cons from claiming that the entire Libs party was corrupt, did it?
No, don't think you are a raving Conbot but I thought I would just point that out.
Interestingly, you don't actually have to have, or use, any _real_ influence to be convicted of influence peddling; just promising to use your real or imagined influence in exchange for considerations is enough: eg, from http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/pi/icg-gci/po-cp/page04.html
"In one instance, an individual indicated to his nephews that he had a personal relationship with the Housing Minister in the province of Nova Scotia[31]. [...] The accused only pretended to have influence and in fact did not give the Minister any money. The nephews subsequently gave a series of money orders to their uncle, totalling $2,000. The accused was convicted of influence peddling[...]"
Post a Comment