The Briefing Room
General Category => World News => Topic started by: flowers on November 05, 2013, 06:48:45 pm
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http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/05/world/americas/canada-toronto-mayor-crack/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
(CNN) -- After repeated denials and months of allegations, embattled Toronto Mayor Rob Ford told reporters Tuesday that he smoked crack cocaine.
"Yes, I have smoked crack cocaine. ... Am I an addict? No," Ford said.
Pressure on Ford, 44, increased on Thursday, when Toronto's police chief announced investigators recovered a video of the mayor that purportedly shows him smoking a crack pipe.
That followed allegations that surfaced in two media outlets in May that Ford was recorded on video last winter using crack cocaine.
Ford made Tuesday's admission to reporters outside his office in Toronto.
"Yes, I've made mistakes. All I can do is apologize and move on," he said.
Toronto city council member John Filion, who had just introduced a motion to take many of the mayor's powers away from him, reacted to the admission shortly after it was made.
"Wow. I need a minute to absorb this," Filion said. "I think the mayor needs to step aside and take stock of his life as this situation becomes more absurd."
What is the fascination from our media with this story?