Cliffe consulting lawyer after being dropped as CAQ candidate

The political career of Karen Cliffe as a Coalition Avenir Québec candidate lasted less than a week.

The CAQ announced April 9 that Cliffe would be the party’s candidate in the West Island riding of Nelligan for next fall’s provincial election.

But by Friday the 13th, the CAQ had dumped Cliffe as a candidate.

The initial controversy began Monday after the Journal de Québec published an article containing Twitter posts from Cliffe in which she criticized CNN anchor Don Lemon and CNN’s coverage of U.S. President Donald Trump.

But Cliffe was quick to deny she was a Trump supporter, and the CAQ issued a press release Tuesday to address the controversy.

“I want to clarify some things. I do not support Donald Trump, a president who goes beyond the limits every day and whose political orientations do not correspond to my values,” Cliffe wrote in a statement sent by the CAQ.

“That said, I have always thought that we could take a critical look at the work of the media towards politicians, even those with whom we do not agree. I realize, however, that my criticisms towards CNN were exaggerated and unfounded. I have decided to delete my Twitter account to avoid any ambiguity.”

Although her Twitter account was temporarily closed, it has since reopened. On Monday, Cliffe tweeted: “The CAQ deleted my Twitter account. I did not delete any social media.”

But the wheels came off her candidacy last Friday after another report said that Cliffe had been fired from a previous job with the Yellow Pages in 2007.

The CAQ said it dropped Cliffe as a candidate after an investigation because she failed to “say the whole truth about her professional past.”

Cliffe said she plans to comment on the CAQ’s decision to dump her, but wanted to first consult with her lawyer.