Andrew Scheer and the Con Sex Scandal (Continued)

It's funny. Andrew Scheer was in Toronto yesterday trying to scare Canadians into voting for him.

By accusing Justin Trudeau of being soft on crime. 

Only to find himself accused of being too soft on Tony Clement.



For although it now appears that Clement has been engaging in risky online behaviour for a long time.

Former Conservative MP Tony Clement, dropped from caucus over a public sexting scandal, is now admitting to multiple cases of "inappropriate exchanges" online and says it was "foreign actors" who tried to financially extort him. 

For the first time, the Ontario MP is also admitting that he had to contact police not once, but twice over online transgressions — calling into question who in official Ottawa and law enforcement circles knew the details of the case, and when.

Scheer only asked Clement to leave the Con caucus yesterday, and never looked weaker than he does in this clip...



Like a deer caught in the headlights.

Or a religious fanatic worried that people might start calling the Conservative Party the Pervert Party. 

But after reading Scheer's excuse for taking so long to demand Clement's resignation. 

“I took him at his word that this was an isolated incident. Since then, there have been numerous reports of other incidents, allegations. In that respect, I have asked Tony to resign from caucus so that he can respond to these allegations,” Mr. Scheer said.

And after reading this:

Rachel Curran, a former senior Conservative aide in the Harper government, said Mr. Clement was known for sending “multiple unsolicited” direct messages to young women, characterizing the behaviour as “harassment.”

I find it very hard to believe that Scheer had absolutely no idea of Clement's reputation in a small Peyton Place of a town like Ottawa...




Even though, as Michael Harris points out, Clement's creepy behaviour might have endangered the country's security.

Clement was on Canada’s National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians. That means he was privy to the country’s deepest secrets. He has admitted that he was duped into thinking his sexting, including a dubious video that he sent, was going to a consenting woman. The former Conservative now says he’s being “extorted” over their sexually explicit communications. The RCMP is investigating. This is the kind of gross recklessness that turns the hair of security officials prematurely grey.

The way Scheer has handled the crisis is both laughable, and appalling.
 
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer has not done the right thing in the current circumstances. For the family-values party, Scheer’s initial reaction to Clement’s admission was laughable. After a stern talking to by Scheer, Clement resigned as justice critic and saw his committee roles assigned to Lisa Raitt. That done, Scheer had no problem with Clement remaining in caucus. 

Just a few hours later, Scheer reversed field. Faced with more allegations of sexting by Clement, Scheer asked him to resign from caucus so he could “respond” to these “allegations.” That leaves the door wide open for Clement to return.Not a word about the violation of public trust in play here.

And is yet another reason why the creepy Scheer should never be prime minister.


For despite all his ranting and raving about law and order, he simply can't be trusted with the security of Canadians...



As for Clement, although he has disgraced himself enough. 

And while he'll almost certainly be remembered for that gazebo in the middle of nowhere. And the way he mutilated the census for no good reason.

And his creepy online behaviour.

He still needs to come clean about why he didn't resign from that intelligence committee sooner.

And Andrew Scheer needs to make it clear when he first knew that Clement was harassing women, and why he didn't act sooner to remove him from the Con caucus.

In the meantime, I know I'll also remember Clement for this 2010 Rick Mercer skit, where Clement models a pair of groovy two-and-a-half D glasses...



Where one colour blends into the other, the truth is not exactly as advertised, and one can't help feeling that a cover-up could be underway.

And this is the bottom line:

Clement and Andrew Scheer both need to be questioned by a parliamentary committee to ensure that Canada's security has not been compromised.

And the sooner the better...