Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Yesterday's statements are inoperative -- Stephen Harper edition.


Monday, Aug 11 (emphasis brick-wrappingly added):

In the face of Tory challenges to provide evidence of the allegation, Liberal committee chair Paul Szabo quoted from a committee clerk's report to him describing witness responses.

"He (a potential witness) informed me that the party has told them to decline," Szabo said, quoting directly from the report at the table with the clerk sitting beside him.

New Democrat MP Pat Martin said such instructions would be tantamount to obstruction of justice if it was a court hearing.

But a Conservative assistant at the committee denied the party instructed potential witnesses to stay away.

"It did not, absolutely not," said Yaroslav Baran, chief of staff to government whip Jay Hill
.

Wednesday, Aug 13:

Party organizer advised witnesses to ignore summonses: Tory agent

The official agent for a Conservative candidate in Toronto told The Canadian Press yesterday that he and other potential witnesses were told by an organizer for the federal party as late as Monday that they didn't have to testify at the inquiry if they didn't want to.

Douglas Lowry said the organizer, whom he named as Carmen McGregor, gave the advice after he and others received summonses from the Commons ethics committee.

"We've all been told," Mr. Lowry said.

By way of rebuttal, Blogging Tory co-founder Stephen Taylor would like you to check out his cool new web site design.

10 comments:

leftdog said...

There is also a bit of confusion about the Tory staffer's first name. Is it:
-Carmen
-Carma
-Kharma
(?)

buckets said...

It's Karma MacGregor.

liberal supporter said...

Is Karma a bitch?

CC said...

"Karma MacGregor?" That has got to be a made-up name. Like "Biggus Dickus." Or "Patrick Ross."

Frank Frink said...

Not necessarily made-up. I know two women named Karma, two named Sunshine, one Rainbow and one Soledad (after the infamous 'Soledad Brothers'). We had a lot of hippies in BC back in the 60's. They had kids. ;-)

Unknown said...

Now they blog here. :)

Frank Frink said...

Did you change your name to Wayne from Ocean Moonflower?

CC said...

Frank:

Ignore Wayne -- through some bizarre set of circumstances, he's become convinced that he's funny.

Lindsay Stewart said...

it is only because wayne has grown accustomed to people laughing at him.

Frank Frink said...

I usually do ignore Wayne. Find it harder to ignore when a huge beachball gets served up.