You Know Who Dean Del Mastro Makes Me Think Of? Helena Guergis, That's Who.

Helena Guergis, Dean Del Mastro.  A Tale of Two Tories.

The whole Guergis scandal is a bit fuzzy this far on but, as I recall, she was unceremoniously dumped from the Tory caucus against her will, on the mere suspicion of scandal, and once out was kept out even after it was obvious there was no wrongdoing on her part save for her choice of a spouse.   She was exiled, right from the git go and for good.

The only thing surprising about what happened to Dean Del Mastro was how long it took for him to be charged and why he was allowed to stay on in the meantime.   The case was clear and it even came with a smoking gun - Del Mastro's own cheque.

 

Makes you wonder, doesn't it?   Why did Harper not give Del Mastro 'The Full Guergis' treatment back when this scandal broke?  Why did he keep Del Mastro in a position of prominence in the Tory caucus when that cheque speaks for itself and speaks so loudly?

The Most Important Thing You Don't Know About the Guergis/Jaffer Affair

We already know a lot, more than many of us want to know. Guergis and her antics, Jaffer and his run-in with the law, the shady characters he hangs with etc., etc.


We now also know of a private investigator, one Derrick (or "Derek") Snowdy, who claims to have the 'inside' dirt on the once Ottawa power couple.


Here's what you don't know but really need to learn. Who is private eye Snowdy working for and why did that client send him first to the Libs and then, when spurned, send him on to the party he apparently wanted to harm in the first place?


Snowdy has let it out that he went to the Conservatives on his client's instructions. No points at all for surmising that he first went to the Libs on that same client's instructions. Who has it so "in" for Jaffer/Guergis that he's prepared to go to these lengths for retribution.


There's no doubt about it - Snowdy is acting for someone with a very serious axe to grind. But before you can begin to evaluate this you need to know the nature of the axe and who is wielding it and why. Without those details, it's all Jello.


Snowdy's obviously a character. A guy with $12,000 in assets going bankrupt owing $13,000,000? That takes some doing. It doesn't mean he's not telling the truth but it sure as hell deserves caution.


Here's what you need to keep in mind about Mr. Snowdy. Having gone bankrupt last year just $13,000,000 shy of the $12,000 he had to his name there's something extremely unusual about Derek/Derrick Snowdy. You don't get a voluntary informant with that history every day.


But, with that recent misfortune, you can assume Mr. Snowdy isn't making the rounds in Ottawa on his own account. You can also assume Mr. Snowdy has been into this investigation for some time, long before the first whiff of it surfaced. Those contacted who professed to know Snowdy as a private investigator vouchsafe for his abilities. They say he's "top notch" and knows how to operate.


That leads to the conclusion that Mr. Snowdy has spent some considerable time on the payroll of someone interested in monitoring the activities of Mr. Jaffer or one or more of his business associates or all of them. Snowdy isn't telling or revealing all he knows and has or else he's lying right through his teeth.

The most important story may be who stands behind all this, who is picking up Mr. Snowdy's tab? That simple fact may explain more about what's going on here than any other.

UPDATE

Something else that comes to mind, questions for the prime minister. Just what information did he receive from Snowdy and under what circumstances? For example, was anything paid for what Snowdy provided? Was a promise of confidentiality extracted from Snowdy?

How can we be sure there wasn't an element of extortion in their dealings because it plainly is in the public interest to ensure that the Tories dealings with Snowdy were properly conducted. Whatever information Harper got from Snowdy was powerful enough for him to boot Guergis straight out of caucus. That sort of information might, in some circumstances, be very valuable either through its disclosure or its concealment.

The Risk of Believing Volunteer Informants

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.

Iggy Not Open to Sleaze but Harper Is

I don't get many opportunities to sing the praises of Michael Ignatieff but I will give him full marks for turning his back on the private investigator behind the Guergis scandal.

It seems that PI Derek Snowdy had second-hand information that a Jaffer business associate said that three companies had been set up in Belize to hold cash for Guergis and Jaffer. Snowdy shopped his story to the Liberals first but was promptly given the brush off.

Snowdy then took his information to Conservative party lawyer Arthur Hamilton who was more receptive and saw to it that it got straight to the prime minister. Harper didn't seem to quibble about 'benefit of the doubt' but accepted what would have been third-hand hearsay that originated from a dodgy source and, acting on that, booted Guergis clean out of the Tory caucus.

For my money, the Liberals did the right thing but Harper, it seems, finds a bit of good, old-fashioned sleaze irresistible. Yeah, he does have an appetite for all things sleazy. The past four years have taught us that.

The Lady Doth Protest Too Much

Steve knows. Helena knows, so does Rahim. Probably, by now, most if not all of the Conservative caucus knows. To see them play coy, many in the Hill media know although they're not talking either.


What do we know? That Helena at times seems fidgety, irritable, angry and volatile even. That her husband, Mr. Guergis, can drive while tipsy and in possession of a bit of cocaine to boot. That Mr. Guergis, aka Rahim Jaffer, plays fast and loose with some curious characters. That some revelation came to L'il Stevie that made him leap into action, dumping Ms. Guergis from his cabinet and even booting her straight out of the Tory caucus before tossing the whole business over to the RCMP to investigate.


Now Ms. Guergis is whining about "rumours gone amok" and vowing to fight back. She's even hired the lawyer who negotiated Rahim's cushy plea bargain.


But despite all her whining, Helena won't take the first step to restoring her reputation - she won't say what the ruckus is all about. It's pretty hard to deny something the identity of which you refuse to disclose. Sorry Helena but, without disclosure, you'll just have to stew in a cauldron of Spicy Rumour soup. If you want to leave yourself there, don't complain about the inevitable consequences.

Guergis Booted Over "Second-Hand" Tip?

See what happens when you can get the prime minister's ear?

Stand-in stuffed suit, Curious John Baird, wasn't saying much about the Guergis affair today but he did let it drop that Harper moved to brutally eviscerate Helena on the strength of a "second hand" tip from a "third party." Let me see, multiply "second hand" by "third party" and divide by Harper's judgment deficit and you get - a lynching?

Did I hear that correctly? Guergis was not only fired from cabinet but turfed from the Tory caucus on the strength of barely more than a rumour. Incredible.

Must've been some "tip." Must've been some "tipster" too.

Wonder when L'il Stevie will be advertising his own "Conservative Caucus Crimestoppers" hotline?

Be Careful What You Wish For, Especially If It's Guergis' Head

People like Helena Guergis just don't turn up every day and they're damned handy to have around when you're sitting on the opposite side of the House of Commons.

Between Helena and Mr. Guergis, they've done it all - tantrums in airports, Bolivian Marching Powder, even aides writing shill letters to newspapers and dubious magazines. When you're polishing your sniper scope it really doesn't get much better than Helena Guergis and spouse.

Nothing looks better on Stephen Harper than a gross embarrassment in his own cabinet ranks. He's got his share, more than his share, but it's handy for the Opposition to keep them alive and kicking (windows perhaps)?

Unfortunately it seems that Helena's days in cabinet - and her usefulness to the Opposition - may be numbered. The Conservative Television Network's stand-in for Mike Duffy, Robert Fife, says a lot of Cons, including some in Harper's own den of vipers, are looking to give Helena the boot. Oh please folks don't drop Helena. This is only her, what, third or fourth strike? Why not wait to see what she can find to step in next week or next month? Oh please?

Guergis Affair Speaks Volumes for Canadian Media - And It Ain't Good

A second staffer discovered planting shill letters for Helena Guergis.

The Terrible-Tempered Miss Bang is in it again. A second aide has now "admitted" (i.e. been caught) writing the praises of Guergis in a letter to a publication without disclosing the connection to her boss. Yesterday it was Jessica Craven who wrote several letters under her maiden name, Jessica Morgan, to local papers in Guergis' riding. Today it's Valerie Knight, a staffer in Guergis' Alliston constituency office, who slipped one past the Tory house organ, Maclean's magazine.

Guergis, of course, is playing dumb about it all - perhaps the one thing she's remarkably good at. She claims she only learned of Knight's letter when her communications director spotted the story online. Yeah, sure.

While Guergis' own integrity is a legitimate question for debate, the most troubling issue is how do these letters get published without the media at least checking out the writers? I've never had a letter printed in the Globe, the Star, McClatchey, the LA Times or the NY Times without being directly contacted first.

It's pretty obvious that most of Canada's media today have an unspoken "reacharound" deal with the Tories but this is a bit much even for them.