Those seeking a political scandal leading to Conservative leader Stephen Harper did not have a great day on Wednesday.
Nigel Wright, who was Harper’s chief of staff from 2010 to 2013 when the Conservative leader was prime minister, took the stand at the trial of disgraced Senator Mike Duffy.
Wright was asked about how he came to give Duffy a $90,000 personal cheque to cover disputed expense claims.
There was no smoking gun.
Wright testified that he never told the prime minister that someone other than Duffy would repay his disallowed housing and travel expenses.
That appeared to support Harper’s long-voiced contention that he was never aware of a plan for the Conservative party or Wright to pay back the money, something the Harper repeated Wednesday on the campaign trail.
However, Wright also testified that several of Harper’s closest aides were involved in behind-the-scenes negotiations to reach the agreement in 2013.
One of those aides, Senator Marjory LeBreton, continues to work with Harper as he attempts to win a fourth term as Canada’s prime minister on Oct. 19.
Duffy is a former Ottawa reporter and political-show host for CBC and CTV. He was appointed to the Senate by Harper in 2008 and served as fund-raising machine for the Conservatives.
He has pleaded not guilty to 31 charges in connection with his Senate office, living and travel expenses.
Wright was back in the court Thursday, where he was to face cross-examination by Duffy’s lawyer.
The New Democrats, running just a tad ahead of the Conservatives in most opinion polls, took full advantage of the trial’s return to the spotlight.
NDP leader Tom Mulcair noted that while it was Wright on the witness stand, “it’s Stephen Harper who is on trial.”
Liberal leader Justin Trudeau’s response was muted. He stuck to economic issues.
On Thursday Harper and Trudeau took their campaigns to Saskatchewan, where the Tories held 13 of the province’s 14 seats in the last two Parliaments. The Liberals held the other.
Mulcair had no scheduled public events.
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