Tuesday, June 09, 2009

What did MacDonnell plan to offer Maher to not publish the tape story?

Just read the affidavit that Halifax Chronicle Herald reporter Stephen Maher filed with the court in the Lisa Raitt injunction court hearing yesterday, and it makes more interesting reading. Particularly this paragraph, where Maher discusses his phone conversation with Jasmine MacDonnell about his plan to publish a story on the contents of the tapes:


It makes one wonder just want more valuable information was she willing to give Maher if he saved her the embarrassment of reporting she'd lost a tape recorder of embarrassing recordings in a bathroom and hadn't retrieved it for five months. More dirt on Raitt? On her ex boss, Gary Lunn? Another prominent Conservative?

I guess we'll never know what dirt she was willing to dish...

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7 comments:

Adam M said...

...Until the next time she leaves something secret lying around and finds herself in this position. :)

Oxford County Liberals said...

What I'm curious to know is what else is on that tape; supposedly there are several hours of tape recording.. and the Chronicle-Herald only published a snippet on this on specific issue.

buckets said...

Who is Lynn Meahan ("former colleague")?

Jennifer Smith said...

He said the same thing on CBC today. Intriguing.

Stephen Taylor said...

I'm guessing it would be an exclusive of some kind.

Like one day lead time on a story about the sale of AECL, for example.

Carrie said...

She was willing to give a government secret to save her own reputation? That's not wise.

Jeff, nobody is blogging on isotopes and I've got serious questions. Since you're very tapped into everything and report with balance, can you answer the following, now or in a future post:-

1. Who else in the world produces isotopes? How much is their output?

2. Is the government selling our reactor business so that Canada won't even have it's own isotope supply anymore?

3. Were the reactor problems present during Paul Martin's time as PM?

I want the truth here. I'm a patient and know a lot of others who want accurate answers. CBC, CTV, everybody gives bits and pieces. Politicians give spin. I want facts and a timeline. How did this happen? How can the government sell our reactors without Canadian citizens approval?
Help!

Jeff said...

Scott, looks like we'll be getting more in drips and drabs in the days to come.

buckets, I gather from reading the affadavit she's probably another Natural Resources staffer who was a friend of MacDonnell's and whom Maher also knew.

Stephen, wouldn't her ability to offer media exclusives be hampered as she was no longer in government employ at this point? Unless she was coordinating strategy with the PMO/NrCAN/CPC despite her resignation, which wouldn't surprise me but would poke a hole in the arms-length assurances from both Sparrow and Soudas.