Gawker Claims Video Exists of Rob Ford Smoking Crack

[Butler1000]

There is no proof that the caller is ex-police . The fact he said ' God bless Ford Nation' at the end of his call makes me doubt his authenticity. So what if Ford's name never came up in police investigations ?
Sometimes people have committed more serious crimes like murder and their names never came up in investigations for years ?

The caller identified himself by name as well. So the fact he is an ex police officer can be easily verified(and I have no doubt someone in the media will in case it is false). Again it comes down to credibility. Do we believe a named and credible source? Or unnamed sources reported by the G and M, which happenes to be owned by the Thompson family, as in SARAH THOMPSON, former defeated candidate and discredited sexual hassassment complaintant.
The timing is oh so convenient.

As is the origional Ford accusation, the Godfrey firing, to the casino debate.

The whole thing stinks. So far not a shred of actual proof. Show me a video and I'll change my tune, till then, its a smear campaign.

 

[oldjones]

I didn't read this whole thread... but I have been following the story in the media... here are the facts as I see them:

1. a couple guys claim to have a video
2. video for sale for $200,000 G
3. a media resource that has a history of ragging on the mayor claims to have seen it, and print about its contents
4. no video has surfaced
5. guys who say they had it, and would sell it cannot be located

Conclusion: It doesn't exist and this is a big witch hunt

Come on people... doesn't ANYONE think it is just a little ironic that the bleeding heart loonies at the Toronto Star that are always preaching about innocent until proven guilty are perpetuating this bull shit?

Give yours heads a shake. :frusty:

If that matched the events as we know them, your conclusion might be justified, but you're way off. For starters, event No.1 was: A US newsblog with no Toronto connections reported seeing a video ostensibly of Rob Ford smoking crack.
2. The Star then reported two of its reporters had repeatedly seen what seems to be the same video, and that it was offered for sale.
3. The US blog started a fundraising campaign aiming first as $100k then &200k which it says is to buy the video. They first reported the price hike, and now say the contacts are unreachable.
4. The Mayor has offered, 'no comment', but has not yet denied any of the actions in the video described in detail by the blog and the Star.
5. After a week of not facing the citizens or the media, the Mayor, added "the video may not exist" to his 'no comment'.
6. Sunday he re-phrased that to a flat-out 'the video does not exist'.

Conclusion: The video—purportedly of Ford, made by guys he supposedly bought drugs from—no longer exists.

What's ironic is to have guys talking about waiting for the evidence trying to paint what few facts there are with their prejudices against non-believers in the Ford Mantra to, 'prove' Rob must be innocent, because he's a victim.

Y'know even victims can be bad people who do bad things. Wait for the evidence.

And the score so far has Rob still at zero, for proving the Star wrong

 

[fmahovalich]

Yes.... Even Big M, a Wiley old Senator knows.....wait.....for the evidence.

 

[Butler1000]

That is just desperate talk from Ford Nation cultists, everybody else knows there is a video. Disbelieving multiple media outlets is kook talk.

Doug dealt 'em and Rob smokes 'em. The only question is what was in the pipe. The video doesn't lie, the Star, Gawker, and the Globe don't lie. But Somali drug dealers might, and its their word that it was crack.

Really? So the media is completely impartial? I can acknowledge that they all have an editorial slant. So far all we have are 3 supposed viewings of a video. One by a site called "Gawker". I'm not seeing a lot of cooberation here.

No video.....no credibility

I would apply that standard to ANY politician or public figure.

I think your ready to believe it due to your own bias, not on direct examination of the lack of any real evidence.

 

[Phil C. McNasty]

There is no proof that the caller is ex-police

The retired cop said his full name on the air, Gary McLelland:

http://www.newstalk1010.com/blogs/daveagar/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10549491

The man identified himself as retired Sergeant Gary McLelland. NewsTalk 1010 has subsequently confirmed through a source with knowledge that a Sergeant McClelland was on the force in those years but the source was unable to establish if he was in the drug squad

 

[groggy]

From the Globe story today:

A senior member of Rob Ford’s office was interviewed by police last week about a tip linking a video allegedly showing the mayor smoking illicit drugs to a recent Toronto homicide, two separate sources have confirmed.

The staffer felt compelled to share the tip, which came to him from someone else in the mayor’s office, with police because it could constitute evidence in a homicide investigation.
...

The informant in the mayor’s office purported to know the address and unit number where the video was being held.

They went on to say that the video originally belonged to an individual who may have been killed for its potentially valuable contents, according to a source.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/toronto-police-spoke-to-mayor-fords-senior-staffer-after-tip-linked-killing-to-alleged-drug-video/article12163629/

 

[KBear]

There is no proof that the caller is ex-police . The fact he said ' God bless Ford Nation' at the end of his call makes me doubt his authenticity. So what if Ford's name never came up in police investigations ?
Sometimes people have committed more serious crimes like murder and their names never came up in investigations for years ?

CFRB followed up and verified the caller, who gave his name on the air, was a ex-police as he said he was.

 

[Phil C. McNasty]

From the Globe story today:

They went on to say that the video originally belonged to an individual who may have been killed for its potentially valuable contents, according to a source

Quick groggy, go make a citizen's arrest of Rob Ford on suspicion of first degree murder

 

[Fred Zed]

The retired cop said his full name on the air, Gary McLelland:

http://www.newstalk1010.com/blogs/daveagar/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10549491

Ok I stand corrected, regardless the fact that Doug Ford was not caught by the police selling drugs does not prove his innocence, as I am sure the retired cop knows. It simply proves Doug was a smart dealer.

 

[Phil C. McNasty]

Ok I stand corrected, regardless the fact that Doug Ford was not caught selling drugs does not prove his innocence, as I am sure the cop knows

No, you're right there. Maybe if Ford was dealing he got away with it for all that time. Hash isnt exactly at the top of the police list for wanted crimes.

But there's a big difference between dealing a few joints 30 years ago in high school, and smoking crack in 2013

 

[Mervyn]

I suspect the Star had the original idea to run with this video story. They had the pics with the dead drug dealer....and then somehow GAVE it to Gawker....in the USA..to blow the lid off.

I think we will all find that gawker is a pawn here.....and in fact....the tape is already in custody of the STAR.....but, not wanting to be seen as 'paying' for it....have left the collection to Gawker.

About that picture with the "dead drug dealer", I haven't seen anyone put up any link showing a conviction for that.

 

[fmahovalich]

He only died a month ago....if I recall properly an earlier story!

 

[fuji]

Most media outlets explicitly state they have not seen the video,and are only going on claims by The Star and Gawker.

Of course they lie. They print retractions all the time. Proving malice can be difficult. None of the accusations would hold up in a court of law at this point in time.

Cite any example of any major Canadian newspaper wholesale making up a story.

Not getting a detail wrong, making it up entirely.

It doesn't happen, this is just kook talk.

 

[fuji]

Really? So the media is completely impartial?

Media bias tends to show up in the selection of which stories to run, and which aspects of those stories to report on. Major media outlets are generally factually accurate.

The Star may prioritize news about Ford, but they do not wholesale make up entire stories.

What this is proving is that core Ford voters are paranoid people who aren't particularly bright and who will believe in absurd conspiracy theories rather than face facts.

 

[Phil C. McNasty]

What this is proving is that core Ford voters are paranoid people who aren't particularly bright and who will believe in absurd conspiracy theories rather than face facts

No, what this proves is Ford voters would like to see some evidence before asking him to resign.

Evidence in the form of a video tape

 

[fuji]

No, what this proves is Ford voters would like to see some evidence before asking him to resign.

Evidence in the form of a video tape

We have some evidence, in the form of multiple trustworthy accounts reported in major media outlets.

Only a kook would dispute that.

 

[Phil C. McNasty]

We have some evidence, in the form of multiple trustworthy accounts reported in major media outlets.

Only a dumb Liberal would accept that as evidence

Fixed your post

 

[fuji]

Kook. Cite any other example of any Canadian newspaper making up an entire news story like this.

It doesn't happen.

 

[Phil C. McNasty]

Kook. Cite any other example of any Canadian newspaper making up an entire news story like this.

It doesn't happen

So you demand that Ford resign immediately based on a video that only 3 people have seen (2 Star reporters & Gawker).

Is that right?

 

[Ridgeman08]

Until a video surfaces and is proven to be REAL... (not faked... we all know that is possible in this day and age...) everything else is immaterial and/ or hearsay.

Ask any lawyer.