Toronto Mayor Rob Ford crack cocaine video surfaces

GlobalPost
Updated on

Toronto's Mayor Rob Ford is no stranger to hot air. But this time that air might be smoke from a crack pipe.

A video has allegedly surfaced of the wacky mayor smoking crack cocaine and talking smack about other politicians.

In the video Ford is apparently seen sitting alone taking hits from what looks like a crack pipe.

The right-leaning populist mayor refers to the Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau as a "f-g" and comments on the football team he runs for troubled kids: “They are just f—ing minorities.”

He also allegedly says: “I’m f—ing right-wing.”

When Ford seems to notice someone with a phone he warns him that it better not be working.

While surrounded by reporters outside his home and at city hall later, the embattled mayor called the allegations "ridiculous," CTV News reported.

He also said it's just another example of how the Toronto Star, which put the story on its front page on Friday, is out to get him.

"Like I said this morning, these allegations are ridiculous. This is another story with respect to the Toronto Star going after me and that’s all I have to say,” Ford said.

Gawker broke the news that the video existed and the website's editor John Cook made the trip to Toronto to see it firsthand.

Cook was taken to a parking lot in a distant suburb of the city and shown the video by a group of men who wanted an offer to sell the video in the six figures.

Cook declined to pay it but said that he's 100 percent sure it's the portly mayor.

Read his story here.

The Toronto Star had a similar story: two reporters were shown the video and took separate notes.

Both were familiar with the mayor and said that it was indeed him. The Star also refused to pay for the video, offering $40,000 instead.

The Somali men who possess the tape said they needed the money to flee to Calgary after they sold the tape, likely in fear of the consequences.

They are allegedly involved in Toronto's drug trade and may be the mayor's dealers.

A photo was released by the men showing Ford with two young men, one of whom was a 21-year-old who was shot dead outside a Toronto nightclub just months ago.

Deputy mayor Doug Holyday told reporters that he supports Ford.

He said he's never seen such behavior from the mayor, and the video could have been manipulated.

"Videos are strong items but they can be manipulated," Holyday said, the Toronto Sun reported. "I saw a video of a bird picking up a baby on television and it turned out that it wasn’t accurate.

"Someone was able to stage that video and I guess if you stage that video then you can stage other things."

Ford is known to have trouble with substance abuse.

He was recently ejected from a military ball for drunken behavior.

In 2006, Ford was thrown out of a hockey game for being drunk and shouting obscenities at fans and players.

Did we mention he was found guilty in a conflict of interest case and lost his seat as mayor late last year?

He was reinstated after he won an appeal in January.

Not everyone is buying the story though.

Reuters' social media editor tweeted:

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