Wednesday, November 06, 2013

As Predicted


Mike Duffy is releasing the next bits of information linking this whole steaming mess back to Harper's doorstep (or his desk).

Senator Mike Duffy's lawyer has begun turning over hundreds of emails to the RCMP following a request by the Mounties last Friday to hand over documentation that may prove to be "evidence of criminal wrongdoing by others," CBC News has learned. 
In a letter obtained by CBC News on Monday, the RCMP said they were interested in "emails from the [Prime Minister's Office] specifically relating to a script for Senator Duffy to follow in advance of obtaining funds from a RBC loan to repay the Receiver General." 
The emails being turned over to the Mounties by Duffy's lawyer Donald Bayne are said to be "much more explicit" about the Prime Minister's Office script that Duffy said he was to follow.

I said previously that Harper's zealous desire to excise a political liability was likely as not to create an even bigger liability.

The question I have is when is the RCMP going to raid the PMO and confiscate not just a few files, but the ever critical backups of the e-mail system?  (Not to mention subpoena the email logs for every PMO denizen using a "personal" email such as Gmail or Yahoo Mail from their desks or cell phones?

4 comments:

the salamander said...

.. would the RCMP be 'allowed' to secure those servers, drives, binders etc.. ?

.. why have we not heard Thomas Mulcair or Justin Trudeau request the names and titles of those with access or permissions to erase, or order erasure or secreting of such files and communications ?

.. the lowly clerk or geek or wonk or data/guru that actually 'manages' such stuff .. must be hearing footsteps.. Surely Jenni Byrne, Ray Novak or Stephen Lecce does not actually hit the 'delete' button ?

MgS said...

The RCMP would be demanding the backup data from those servers, I expect.

Most of the commercial grade e-mail servers have tools in them which prevent the "actual" deletion of data - mostly just removes "deleted" emails from the user's active view.

On top of that, I would expect that the federal government's IT procedures are such that nobody directly in the PMO would have the appropriate authority to get at the low level functions that would allow for an "Oliver North shredding party" to occur.

In short, a political operative is unlikely to have the correct authority) If the e-mails in question were being routed through the CPC's servers, then it's a different issue and they may have been deleted. Of course that puts the CPC into a position of being accused of conspiracy.

the salamander said...

I'm still waiting for the breathless questions .. 'Who controls this process or actions? What has actually occurred? What breach of law or parliamentary process has been violated?'

All aside from what Canada and Canadians should expect from their elected or unelected representatives and civil servants ..

MgS said...

In terms of possible criminal charges, you are mostly talking in terms of fraud and breach of trust.

At a parliamentary level, we have a Prime Minister who has denied knowledge in the HoC, and depending on what is in the e-mail chain, may well have deliberately misled parliament. (Which is far more than just a "we expect better" issue)

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