PMO denies stonewalling Duffy case
RCMP reportedly seeking email that outlined deal
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government is once again on the defensive over the Senate scandal, days after it hoped to change channels with a cabinet shuffle.
On Wednesday, a Harper spokeswoman denied the Prime Minister’s Office was withholding a key email from the RCMP that outlines a deal struck between Sen. Mike Duffy and Harper’s former right-handman, Nigel Wright, to help the senator repay his improper housing expense claims.
Harper’s office said that investigators hadn’t asked for the email as part of their criminal probe of the deal.
One former RCMP investigator suggested the force would want copies of any records the PMO has and could easily get a court order to compel Harper’s office to hand over any documents.
The political optics of the RCMP raiding the Prime Minister’s Office is fraught with political damage for the government and for the Mounties, said NDP ethics critic Charlie Angus.
“It would ratchet up the stakes politically. If they didn’t find anything, certainly heads could roll (in the RCMP),” Angus said. “What worries me is if the anonymous (sourced) reports are true … is that this could be the Prime Minister’s Office staring down the RCMP. It would be extraordinary to get a warrant for the Prime Minister’s Office.”
A CTV report Tuesday night suggested the force had informally asked Harper’s office for the email dated Feb. 20. Citing unnamed sources, CTV said the PMO has thus far refused to hand over the email to the RCMP.
On Wednesday, a spokeswoman for Harper said the RCMP has not requested a copy of the email.
“Our office has not been asked for this email,” Julie Vaux told Postmedia News. “As we have always said, we will assist investigations into this matter.”
The RCMP declined to comment. The force generally does not comment on ongoing investigations.
Former RCMP superintendent Gary Clement said public comments about who knew what within the PMO about Wright’s deal with Duffy, along with recently released court documents, suggest there are reasonable and probable grounds for investigators to ask a court for records inside the PMO.
A warrant for the documents wouldn’t take very long to receive, Clement said.
“I realize the political sensitivity … but this isn’t a popularity contest. This is a criminal investigation,” said Clement, a 30-year veteran of the force.
Investigators have already asked an Ontario court for an order for records from the Senate about details of Duffy’s spending. Court documents released earlier this month show the RCMP is pursuing Duffy for frauds on the government and breach of trust, indictable offences that each carry a maximum five-year prison term upon conviction.
Investigators were also considering whether Wright was a witness or a suspect in the investigation.