At Issue: Nigel Wright's testimony at Mike Duffy's criminal trial
Panel agreed it was a tough day for Duffy
The National's At Issue panel discussed the first day of star witness Nigel Wright's testimony in Senator Mike Duffy's criminal trial. Wright is Stephen Harper's ex-chief of staff.
The panel agreed it was a tough day for Duffy.
"It's not one big lie, it's hundreds of little lies," said Andrew Coyne.
Coyne was referring to the fact that while Wright didn't necessarily know whether Duffy's conduct was illegal or not, he had worked with senior staffers in the Prime Minister's Office to cover up the fact that Duffy refused to pay back some questionable expense claims.
Jennifer Ditchburn, who is covering the trial for The Canadian Press, said Duffy had dug his heels in on this issue and was not going to repay the expenses himself.
"Even though they knew that, they coached him on saying to the public that he had paid ... People who worked in communications functions in the Prime Minister's Office knew that was a lie," said Ditchburn.