APTN National News
OTTAWA–Sen. Mike Duffy dropped another bombshell Monday and again tied the unfolding Senate scandal to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his office.
Duffy said a Conservative Party lawyer cut a $13,560 cheque to cover his legal fees associated with a $90,000 deal to pay back his Senate expenses.
Duffy said Conservative Party lawyer Arthur Hamilton cut the cheque on direction from Harper.
“That’s right Senators, not one payment, but two,” said Duffy. “It was all part of his strategy negotiated by (Harper’s) lawyers to make a political situation embarrassing to his base go away…He (Harper) had my legal bills fully paid. Why would he do that? He would never do that if he believed my expense claims were improper. He did this, because as I’ve said from the start, this was all part of his strategy, negotiated by his lawyers and the Conservative party’s lawyer’s to make a political situation embarrassing to his base go away.”
Duffy tabled a copy of the cheque stub and transmittal letter with the Senate to back up his claim. The stub is dated April 3, 2013, which came from Cassels Brock & Blackwell, which is Hamilton’s firm. The cheque is addressed to Duffy’s lawyer.
Duffy also implied that the $90,000 used to pay for his expenses may not have come from Harper’s former chief of staff Nigel Wright.
“This is on top of the $90,000 which they say came from Nigel Wright,” said Duffy. “I have never seen a cheque from Nigel Wright.”
Harper has said Wright used his own personal funds to cover Duffy’s expenses.
Duffy also said he was coached by the PMO to “deceive Canadians” about the source of the $90,000. Duffy initially said the money came from a Royal Bank of Canada loan.
“I reluctantly agreed to go along with this dirty scheme,” said Duffy.
Duffy was once a prominent television news personality before he was appointed to the Senate by Harper in 2008.
Duffy says he was told by Wright that his expenses were fine.
“I am told that you have complied with all the applicable rules and that there would be several Senators with similar arrangements,” wrote Wright, in a Dec. 4, 2012, email to Duffy from the former chief of staff’s personal Gmail account, which means the information cannot be obtained through access to information, “This sure seems to be a smear.”
The Senate is currently debating a motion to suspend Duffy, Sen. Patrick Brazeau and Sen. Pamela Wallin for two years. Harper has thrown his weight behind the motion.
All three Senators, who were all kicked out of the Conservative caucus, face allegations of filing improper expense and housing claims.
Brazeau on Friday accused the government leader in the Senate of offering him a “backroom deal” to get a lighter punishment if he apologized for his expenses and housing claims.
Documents tabled by Duffy
