Duffy's playbook reads like comic-book satire

By most accounts, Nigel Wright is a standup guy. By most accounts, Senator Patrick Duffy is not.

When news of Wright's $90,000 “gift” to Duffy passed through the fan over the May long weekend, Wright (wealthy enough on his own account) resigned from his job as the prime minister's chief of staff.

Duffy, whom we are told could is too poor to wangle a $90,000 bank loan, despite having at least two residences and a base pay of $135,000 a year plus generous perks, keeps his job.

And the fan continues to churn, while the prime minister who appointed Duffy and defended him through a week of dubious explanations of bad judgement, unclear legal requirements of Duffy's job — and possible malfeasance — stands in the fan's exhaust.

If you published this plotline in a comic book, only its followers would believe it. And only then for entertainment value.

Duffy's bread was buttered for decades as a CTV Parliament Hill chief correspondent on stories that fall far short of his own for unbelievability. But he expected Canada to believe the following:

• That the reporting requirements of what constitutes a “residence” for the purposes of obtaining a Senate housing allowance are so unclear, he could not even determine the spirit of the rule;

• That billing expenses for Senate work, while on vacation in Florida was a “clerical error;”

• That the $90,000 Duffy used to make an internal audit on his conduct "go away" was a loan he obtained on his own;

• That repaying the $90,000 housing allowance he collected “in error” satisfies the questions that triggered the audit, and that he no longer needs to co-operate with it;

• That he did not double-bill taxpayers for Senate pay, while he was being paid by the Tory Party as an election campaign fundraiser;

• That he still deserves to sit as a Senator and collect his pay.

Over the weekend, CTV's Robert Fife reported the Senate’s internal economy committee originally found Duffy broke “very clear” and “unambiguous” residency rules. A sanitized version of that report was published, leaving out that bit, leaving Duffy and others under scrutiny some wiggle room to save their jobs, if not their reputations.

Fife also reported Duffy's lawyers attempted to have him exempted from the Senate committee's forensic audit. In what has arisen since, one needs to ask why.

Are there other instances of double-billing and clerical errors that Duffy wishes would not become public?

Wright, who until Sunday was the most powerful unelected person on Parliament Hill, has been spun as a close friend of Duffy, concerned with the embattled Senator's poor health. So close, that he handed over $90,000 of his own money to Duffy, to remove the onerous stress of poverty that would follow repaying the illegally-obtained housing allowance on his own.

Without telling prime minister Stephen Harper.

This is not credible on a number of fronts.

First, agents of Parliament do not give other agents of Parliament “gifts” of $90,000. That just stinks from the outset, not to mention that the gift was made while the receiver is facing a forensic audit by an ethics committee.

Second, insider sources are saying Wright and Duffy may be close, but not $90,000 close.

Third, it is out of the realm of believability that micro-manager Stephen Harper would not know about this, or would approve of such a gift, unless there were reasons far beyond poor Duffy's health for keeping skeletons in the closet.

Another nationally-known former news correspondent, Pamela Wallin has also resigned the Conservative Senate caucus while the audits are being conducted. Tory Senator Patrick Brazeau is fighting a ruling his $48,000 needs to be repaid, while he also fights allegations of a violent sexual assault.

And Liberal Mac Harb is indignant over his $51,000 housing tab.

A comic-book writer could spin a yarn about a politician who got elected promising Senate reform, while appointing sleazebags into a system chiefly upheld by insider advantage, if not outright corruption.

And then defending them, while his brilliant and honourable lieutenant falls on his own sword.

But you'd have to be a comic-book subscriber to believe it could actually happen.

Follow Greg Neiman's blog at readersadvocate.blogspot.com