A lot of Libs, it seems, are critical of Ignatieff for spurning a private investigator offering dirt of Helena Guergis.
Take it from someone who knows - people like this investigator are usually trouble, often big trouble. Why? There are several reasons.
Why indeed? When someone comes out of the woodwork with damaging sleaze, they're doing it for a reason. They want something, potentially a great deal, from somebody and that somebody might just be you. Unless you're certain that you know what they're after, keep your distance.
Volunteer informants can be plants. They can deliver a load of credible, verifiable information to which they slip in the snippets of disinformation that can readily blow up in your face. Even if he promises to deliver glossies of Harper buggering the Speaker, best to show the guy the door.
And what of this particular "private investigator" Derek Snowdy? Maybe he's not that great of a private eye after all. CBC News found his bankruptcy records from 2009 when he owed total liabilities the grand sum of $13-million against assets of less than $12,000. He must be one hell of an investigator, eh? Sounds like there's a lot more to Derek Snowdy than meets the eye.
Don't blame Michael Ignatieff for being prudent in the midst of this truly smelly situation. Better yet, let's say instead that he took the high road.
It could also be Ignatieff is sitting back watching the way Harper is and has handled the Guergis affair. Remember what Napoleon Bonaparte said, "never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake". It’s a juicy scandal so the press can deal with the dirt on Guergis on the Liberal’s behalf, but the Afghan detainee issue has some real political meat. Guergis is juicy gossip, but the Afghan detainee issue may involve war crimes that have the potential to ultimately destroy the Conservative party.
ReplyDeletewhat a gnarled and twisty tale this one is.
ReplyDeletei think you are right about this.
Why attack this guy? I think this is totally unfair. And what's more, the PM said he was provided with credible information, not just rumours. Remember, he didn't just ask her to step down from cabinet he kicked her out of caucus.
ReplyDeleteAnon, this really isn't about attacking Snowdy. The point is that he was a volunteer informant working for someone whose agenda was to expose two people for purposes no one understands. Snowdy let that out of the bag when he admitted that, after being brushed off by the Libs, his "client" instructed him to take it to the Tories.
ReplyDeleteThe million dollar question that's not being asked is just who does Snowdy take his orders from? Who has been paying him to surveil Jaffer and his business associates, for how long, to what extent and, above all, why?