Nothing too explosive in the Duffy trial yesterday, but more those emails from Monday are certainly creating a bit of a stir, showing the PMO ignored the scandal for the first while, how Harper’s lawyer ended up disagreeing with Harper on the residency questions, and how Duffy didn’t want to repay anything because it would have made him look guilty, which he certainly didn’t think he was. Most of those players in the emails are still around Harper today. Incidentally, Pamela Wallin’s travel claims also come up in the emails. Andrew Coyne meanwhile has sorted through them and come to a conclusion on his own, so I’ll let him:
Reading through these internal PMO emails again, it’s very clear that it wasn’t the housing allowance that was on Duffy’s mind.
— Andrew Coyne 🇺🇦🇮🇱🇬🇪🇲🇩 (@acoyne) August 14, 2015
It was his other expenses. His lawyer keeps pushing for the Senate committee to say that ALL his expenses were in order.
— Andrew Coyne 🇺🇦🇮🇱🇬🇪🇲🇩 (@acoyne) August 14, 2015
LIkewise, he and she are immensely concerned to have the Deloitte audit called off altogether, in return for his admission of “error.”
— Andrew Coyne 🇺🇦🇮🇱🇬🇪🇲🇩 (@acoyne) August 14, 2015
Whereas Wright et al are merely trying to get Deloitte to punt on the primary vs secondary residence question, since Duffy had “repaid.”
— Andrew Coyne 🇺🇦🇮🇱🇬🇪🇲🇩 (@acoyne) August 14, 2015
https://twitter.com/acoyne/status/631987013223325696
Here’s Duffy’s lawyer pressing her case. Note the implied threat: We have worked hard to avoid the media…” pic.twitter.com/80E5fjahqy
— Andrew Coyne 🇺🇦🇮🇱🇬🇪🇲🇩 (@acoyne) August 14, 2015
https://twitter.com/acoyne/status/631988803641716736
https://twitter.com/acoyne/status/631990423058284544
This was why everyone — Duffy and the PMO — was so keen to have his expenses paid pronto: to give them a reason to shut down the audit.
— Andrew Coyne 🇺🇦🇮🇱🇬🇪🇲🇩 (@acoyne) August 14, 2015
Otherwise Duffy could just have reapaid them over time. It was the time factor — the audit threat — that made it essential to repay them NOW
— Andrew Coyne 🇺🇦🇮🇱🇬🇪🇲🇩 (@acoyne) August 14, 2015
https://twitter.com/acoyne/status/631996316156063745
https://twitter.com/acoyne/status/631996679747731460
The other curious bit is Duffy’s repeated attempts to get the PMO to promise not to refer the matter to the RCMP. If, as he insisted, he …
— Andrew Coyne 🇺🇦🇮🇱🇬🇪🇲🇩 (@acoyne) August 14, 2015
https://twitter.com/acoyne/status/631997702117703680
Answer: it was his other expenses he was worried about. The ones the audit might unearth.
— Andrew Coyne 🇺🇦🇮🇱🇬🇪🇲🇩 (@acoyne) August 14, 2015
https://twitter.com/jenditchburn/status/631888561139286016
Fascinating. “Have you paid the money back yet?” “I’m a man of my word.” Yes, but have you paid it back yet? pic.twitter.com/bBZ7GCRJBH
— Andrew Coyne 🇺🇦🇮🇱🇬🇪🇲🇩 (@acoyne) August 14, 2015
“If repayment is required, it’ll be repaid.” pic.twitter.com/3RfDVQGWFN
— Andrew Coyne 🇺🇦🇮🇱🇬🇪🇲🇩 (@acoyne) August 14, 2015