Duffy trial/Crown's list

[GostHacked]

Harper has already intimated he has no plans to testify. His only excuse so far is that he feels he has nothing of value to add to the case. He better coe up with something better than that if he wants to avoid bad PR.

Harper and Write need to be subpoenaed and brought into the courts to testify. Without that Duffy is going to get away with whatever it is they claim he did wrong.

[jacee]

Mike Duffy not guilty on 2 residency charges, as judge continues ruling

"Residency charges" ... That covers the $90k cheque, clears Wright and Harper too ... of course.

And it clears the way for all other Senators to expense all their housing costs in Ottawa if they are appointed to represent another jurisdiction, even if they've lived there for decades before becoming a Senator.

That's a lot of our money.

.

Edited April 21, 2016 by jacee

[jacee]

...

Judge on Counts 3 and 4, Ontario trips: included Senate biz. Fundraising "minimal." No guilt, counts dismissed.

[andromeda]

how is this bribing a senator? the bribe is already in when the appointment is made. does an mp walking across the floor to join another party and then getting elevated to some ministerial position constitute a bribe?

[overthere]

Harper and Write need to be subpoenaed and brought into the courts to testify. Without that Duffy is going to get away with whatever it is they claim he did wrong.

Wright did testify. And after an exhaustive trial, how do you reckon an acquittal means he did anything wrong. Oh I get it, Harper has bought the judge. Gotcha.

Next up: Duffy will have legal bills of several hundred grand. Somebody other than him will be paying. Guess who?

I am worried that with the Duffster looking like he'll walk on all charges, some heads will actually explode here. I think we all need to get some rain gear on pronto.

[The_Squid]

I wouldn't be surprised if he walks...

The point is that the rules need to be tightened up so that something that looks and quacks like a bribe shouldn't be allowed and the extremely loose rules in the Senate that allows them to steal our money should be tightened up.

The CPC government clearly couldn't be trusted to do these things. And that's part of why we won't have to worry about them being in power again for at least 7 more years... probably longer.

[Hydraboss]

31 of 31 charges dismissed. Duffy is "squeaky clean" apparently.

[The_Squid]

...judge slams Harper PMO

The actions of Harper's staff got a colourful condemnation from the bench. "'Could Hollywood match their deviousness?" the judge asked. "It is interesting that no one suggested doing the legal thing."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/mike-duffy-trial-live-blog-63-1.3545326

The judge called the PMO "devious".

That's a very strong condemnation and backs up what people (other than Harper partisans) saw as the biggest problem all along.

Edited April 21, 2016 by The_Squid

[overthere]

I wouldn't be surprised if he walks...

The point is that the rules need to be tightened up so that something that looks and quacks like a bribe shouldn't be allowed and the extremely loose rules in the Senate that allows them to steal our money should be tightened up.

The CPC government clearly couldn't be trusted to do these things. And that's part of why we won't have to worry about them being in power again for at least 7 more years... probably longer.

Aren't they operating under the same Senate rules for decades?

I expect Trudeau to revise Senate rules at the same time he stacks it with people pretending not to be Liberals.

The '7 more years' will be a certainty once he changes the electoral system to ranked ballots. Of course, the only obstacle to that legislation is the Senate....Justin kind of blew it, kicking all those friendly Liberals out of caucus, before his handlers stumbled on the whole ranked ballots gift to themselves.

Observe the magic of turning Duffy into a guaranteed win in 2019! And trudeau Jr can do it without any Constitutional amendments, all he has to do is snap his fingers and get the people he kicked out of his own Liberal caucus back into it- plus fill the 24 vacancies. Presto Chango!

Everything is working out.

[The_Squid]

Aren't they operating under the same Senate rules for decades?

I expect Trudeau to revise Senate rules at the same time he stacks it with people pretending not to be Liberals.

Your crystal ball works a lot better than mine does. You're condemning the PM for something you think he might do.

Yes, the Senate rules have been flawed this whole time. Harper promised to do something and did the exact opposite. He made it an even more corrupt and partisan body filled with his own party bagmen.

Electoral reform can't come soon enough...

[overthere]

Your crystal ball works a lot better than mine does. You're condemning the PM for something you think he might do.

Yes, the Senate rules have been flawed this whole time. Harper promised to do something and did the exact opposite. He made it an even more corrupt and partisan body filled with his own party bagmen.

Electoral reform can't come soon enough...

It does answer the only question left regarding the coming Liberal imposition of Liberal rule via fiat: how to get past the Senate.

It was the only remaining question. The Duffster looks to have a far more pivotal role than anybody could have imagined.

Harper promised to reform the Senate and failed.

Trudeau doesn't have to . He just has to get back tot he usual govt way of stacking it with cronies. And he will . He has to.

hey about those Tory bagmen: did any of them remember to deliver the usual $200 million to Montreal ad agencies, or is that just a Liberal thing?

Edited April 21, 2016 by overthere

[The_Squid]

hey about those Tory bagmen: did any of them remember to deliver the usual $200 million to Montreal ad agencies, or is that just a Liberal thing?

No, Tories just deal with smaller sums in paper bags...

[Moonlight Graham]

Yes, the Senate rules have been flawed this whole time. Harper promised to do something and did the exact opposite. He made it an even more corrupt and partisan body filled with his own party bagmen.

Power corrupts all but the most very honest people.

[The_Squid]

Power corrupts all but the most very honest people.

Agreed... I've never been an apologist for Liberal scams. Not sure why it was brought up... I guess to excuse the revelations about the Harper PMO and their shady dealings.

[Argus]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/mike-duffy-trial-live-blog-63-1.3545326

The judge called the PMO "devious".

That's a very strong condemnation and backs up what people (other than Harper partisans) saw as the biggest problem all along.

Where did the judge call Harper devious? And bear in mind this is the same judge who called Duffy credible and honest. My initial reaction on hearing that was to wonder how much the judge had had to drink.

Edited April 21, 2016 by Argus

[cybercoma]

Mike Duffy not guilty on 2 residency charges, as judge continues ruling

"Residency charges" ... That covers the $90k cheque, clears Wright and Harper too ... of course.

And it clears the way for all other Senators to expense all their housing costs in Ottawa if they are appointed to represent another jurisdiction, even if they've lived there for decades before becoming a Senator.

That's a lot of our money.

.

Its not that clear. The judgment states that the rules were unclear and Duffy was operating based on the information he was given by the PMO. Since he was going by what the PMO said, the court found he had no ill intent and was in fact trying to do the right thing.

[jacee]

Its not that clear. The judgment states that the rules were unclear and Duffy was operating based on the information he was given by the PMO. Since he was going by what the PMO said, the court found he had no ill intent and was in fact trying to do the right thing.

Wright giving Duffy a $90,000 personal cheque to cover the senators expenses was not to benefit Duffy, it was to benefit the government and the PMO.

This was damage control at its finest, the judge said as he dismissed all charges against Duffy,

...

Was Nigel Wright actually ordering senior members of the Senate around as if they were mere pawns on a chessboard?... Were those same senior members of the Senate robotically marching forth to recite their provided scripted lines?... Does the reading of these emails give the impression that Senator Duffy was going to do as he was told or face the consequences?

The answers to the aforementioned questions are: YES; YES; YES; YES; YES; and YES!!!!! Vaillancourt wrote in his judgment.

The political, covert, relentless, unfolding of events is mindboggling and shocking, he wrote.

And that's it, all a conspiracy of the PMO.

Former PMO.

Absent and unaccountable.

.

[The_Squid]

Where did the judge call Harper devious? And bear in mind this is the same judge who called Duffy credible and honest. My initial reaction on hearing that was to wonder how much the judge had had to drink.

The actions of Harper's staff got a colourful condemnation from the bench. "'Could Hollywood match their deviousness?" the judge asked. "It is interesting that no one suggested doing the legal thing."

[jacee]

Edit ...

http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/politics/mike-duffy-trial-vaillancourt-best-lines-1.3547416

The political, covert, relentless, unfolding of events is mindboggling and shocking, he wrote.

The precision and planning of the exercise would make any military commander proud. However, in the context of a democratic society, the plotting as revealed in the emails can only be described as unacceptable.'

Edited April 22, 2016 by jacee

[cybercoma]

Where did the judge call Harper devious? And bear in mind this is the same judge who called Duffy credible and honest. My initial reaction on hearing that was to wonder how much the judge had had to drink.

The actions of Harper's staff got a colourful condemnation from the bench. "'Could Hollywood match their deviousness?" the judge asked. "It is interesting that no one suggested doing the legal thing."

But that's Harper's staff, not Harper. The Right Honourable Stephen Harper was oblivious to what was going on with his own staff and his own office. He's not incompetent though. That's just a good "hands off" management style.

[jacee]

Vaillancourt said the lengths that Wright and his "crew" went through to cover up Duffy's circumstances, to craft a communications strategy and to put an end to the media saga was unprecedented.

Their communications plan which included outright fabrications was "unacceptable," in a democracy, the judge wrote.

Harper's responsibility aside, his political staff are independently accountable for their behaviour, and deserve the censure of the judge.

Too bad they aren't charged!

.

[GostHacked]

Wright did testify. And after an exhaustive trial, how do you reckon an acquittal means he did anything wrong. Oh I get it, Harper has bought the judge. Gotcha.

Next up: Duffy will have legal bills of several hundred grand. Somebody other than him will be paying. Guess who?

I am worried that with the Duffster looking like he'll walk on all charges, some heads will actually explode here. I think we all need to get some rain gear on pronto.

The money wasted on these stupid court proceedings makes the allegations of the $90,000 chump change. They let Duffy go because others would have been dragged under the bus he was thrown under. I am not saying Duffy is innocent in any of this, but the taxpayer money wasted on Duffy's trial is disgusting. It does not matter if it happened under Harper or any other PM. Something fishy went on and there was many attempts to cover things up. WHY did Write cut a check for 90Gs??? And why was Write not charged in some fashion?

[waldo]

WHY did Write cut a check for 90Gs??? And why was Write not charged in some fashion?

twas an Immaculate Bribe!

.

[Argus]

And that's it, all a conspiracy of the PMO.

How old are you that you'd think any of this was the slightest bit different from what happened with the Martin, Chretien, Mulroney, Clark and Trudeau governments? How naive are you that you'd think the same sorts of things aren't happening today with the new Trudeau government.

[Argus]

Where did the judge call Harper devious? And bear in mind this is the same judge who called Duffy credible and honest. My initial reaction on hearing that was to wonder how much the judge had had to drink.

The actions of Harper's staff got a colourful condemnation from the bench. "'Could Hollywood match their deviousness?" the judge asked. "It is interesting that no one suggested doing the legal thing."

You didn't answer the question.