Crack, murder, and politics: A timeline of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford's scandal
Cocaine is a hell of a drug
Sign that your administration is in trouble: You have to hold a press conference just to assert that you've never smoked crack. That's exactly what Toronto Mayor Rob Ford — himself no stranger to controversy — had to do last week, amid an escalating scandal over his alleged on-camera use of the illegal drug.
And that's not even the whole story. A city hall revolt and murder are also now part of the imbroglio gripping Toronto's local government.
Here, a brief recap of what's happened (so far):
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
May 16: The Toronto Star and Gawker publish articles saying they'd both been offered a chance to buy a cellphone video of Ford smoking crack. According to the Star, the sellers are a group of Somali drug dealers. Their asking price: $200,000.
Both outlets say they watched the tape and concluded it was, in fact, Ford. Here's Gawker's John Cook describing the tape:
May 17: Gawker launches a Kickstarter campaign to purchase the tape. It's called "Rob Ford Crackstarter."
May 23: With the scandal heading into its second week, Ford fires his chief of staff, Mark Towhey. Ford's office gives no reason for the firing, though one city councilor says it was over a football dispute (Ford had just been fired as a volunteer high school football coach). Other reports claim Towhey got the boot for telling Ford to seek help.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
May 24: Ford holds a press conference to address the accusations of drug use.
"I do not use crack-cocaine, nor am I an addict of crack-cocaine," he says. "As for a video, I cannot comment on a video that I have never seen, or does not exist."
May 25: A lengthy Globe and Mail investigative report claims Ford's brother and city councilor, Doug Ford, sold hashish in the 1980s. Doug Ford admits to smoking marijuana in his youth, but denies the accusations of drug dealing.
May 27: Press secretary George Christopoulos and deputy press secretary Isaac Ransom quit. Rob Ford calls the resignations "business as usual," but The Star suggests he was caught completely off guard by the news. "In full view of journalists Ford, trailed by a city hall security guard, paced around the mayor's suite looking into the emptied offices, appearing agitated," according to The Star.
Also on this day, the Globe and Mail reports that Toronto police interviewed a Ford staffer, asking for information about a possible link between the alleged video and a recent homicide. In Gawker's original story about the tape, Cook noted that his source provided a photo of Ford standing with an alleged drug dealer, Anthony Smith, who had been murdered in March.
Meanwhile, Gawker hits its fundraising total to purchase the alleged videotape. However, the site says it has lost contact with the people who purportedly possess the tape, adding that it will take some time to complete the "very delicate transaction" if it ever relocates the sellers.
May 30: Reports claim Ford told staff members one day after news of the videotape surfaced to not worry because he knew exactly where to find that tape. He then reportedly gave them a specific address.
On the same day, police announce they had arrested and charged 23-year-old Hanad Mohamed in connection with Smith's murder. Police had already charged Nisar Hashimi, also 23, in connection to the same shooting.
In addition, two more top staffers, policy adviser Brian Johnson and executive assistant Kia Netajian, resign.
Ford, meanwhile, holds a press conference to announce that "things are doing great, and we're doing fine." He refuses to discuss the alleged crack-smoking tape, and insists he will remain in office and run for re-election next year.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.
-
Putin's sham election
Opinion Protest votes show Russian dissent still simmers
By Susan Caskie Published
-
6 inviting homes with rental units
Feature Featuring a restored Victorian home in Illinois and ocean-view windows in Nova Scotia
By The Week Staff Published
-
Keith O'Brien's 6 must-read books about significant moments in sports history
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by Laura Hillenbrand, Jonathan Eig and more
By The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Xi-Biden meeting: what's in it for both leaders?
Today's Big Question Two superpowers seek to stabilise relations amid global turmoil but core issues of security, trade and Taiwan remain
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Will North Korea take advantage of Israel-Hamas conflict?
Today's Big Question Pyongyang's ties with Russia are 'growing and dangerous' amid reports it sent weapons to Gaza
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published