Canada's largest city, Toronto, was in political turmoil yesterday after the police said they had recovered a video apparently showing Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine.
During a televised news conference, Chief William Blair of the Toronto police said technicians had recovered the video on Tuesday from deleted files on a computer seized during a series of drug- and gang-related arrests this year.
In May, Gawker and the Toronto Star reported that they had been shown the video several times by a man who was trying to sell it. A subsequent attempt by Gawker to buy the video failed, and Mr Ford has repeatedly, and defiantly, denied using crack and said no such video existed.
In the six months since, it appeared that the video and allegations involving Mr Ford’s behaviour were fading as a political issue and that the mayor had re-established his political following among right-of-centre voters.
But confirmation that the video exists prompted calls for his resignation from some City Council members, several prominent Toronto residents and the city’s four daily newspapers.
While Blair did not describe the video at the news conference, he confirmed that the mayor appeared in it and that its contents were “consistent with what has previously been reported,” apparently a reference to the Gawker post and the Toronto Star articles.
The chief said there was nothing on the video that could lead to criminal charges against Mr Ford. But, he added, “as a citizen of the city, I am disappointed.” Mr Ford, during a hectic meeting with reporters that lasted only 70 seconds, ignored questions about why he had previously denied that the video existed.
“I have no reason to resign,” he told the reporters at City Hall. “I’m going to go back and return my phone calls. I’m going to be out doing what the people elected me to do, and that’s save taxpayers’ money and run a great government that we’ve been running.”
He added, “I wish I could come out and defend myself, but unfortunately I can’t, because it’s before the courts.”
The video, and a second one that was recovered from the same computer, did lead to the arrest of Alexander Lisi, a man Mr Ford has described as a friend and who sometimes serves informally as the mayor's driver.
Mr Lisi, who has twice been convicted of assault, criminal harassment and making threats, was charged in the new case with extortion, although the police would not give details about the charge or identify the extortion victim.
The Toronto Star has reported that Mr Lisi, known as Sandro, tried to recover the video on Mr Ford’s behalf after the initial news reports about its contents.
The unexpected announcement by the police came shortly after a court released parts of a police affidavit used to obtain a search warrant against Lisi in a drug investigation that recently resulted in his arrest on marijuana trafficking charges.
Although heavily censored, the more than 300 pages of testimony and surveillance photos show Mr Lisi and Mr Ford apparently exchanging small packages on several occasions.
The document indicates that a major investigation by the police was started because of the media reports about the crack video, as well as unspecified evidence from the investigation that produced the computer containing the video.
After Mr Lisi began making U-turns and other unspecified manoeuvres in his black Range Rover to shake off police surveillance teams, the police switched to using an airplane to observe his movements at times. The police also used wiretaps, cameras mounted on telephone poles and tracking devices attached to cars.
The meetings and package exchanges between Mr Ford and Mr Lisi took place at children’s soccer matches, at gas stations and behind schools late at night, according to court documents.
Police photos of one episode show Mr Ford in a bathroom of a gas station near his home. Mr Lisi arrived at the station, and after exchanging text messages and making some purchases, he appeared to have left an envelope in Mr Ford’s Cadillac Escalade.
The document also appears to support other reports by the Star that Mr Ford has problems with alcohol that are interfering with his work. While Mr Ford has strongly denied excessive drinking, the police recovered a number of empty vodka and juice bottles apparently left behind by the mayor after meetings with Mr Lisi.
Several news outlets reported that some council members were avoiding reporters. Of those who spoke to journalists, the ones calling for Mr Ford’s resignation were generally his political opponents. His political allies mainly offered tepid support, while calling for caution before making judgments about the mayor.
The Toronto Sun, a morning tabloid that has long been supportive of Mr Ford, not only joined its rivals in calling for his resignation, but also published a 24-page special afternoon edition devoted to the mayor’s situation.
New York Times