Senator Patrick Brazeau: Bring on the RCMP charges
Suspended senator is looking for work and maintains he did nothing wrong
Bring it on.
That's Senator Patrick Brazeau's message to the RCMP regarding any investigation into his expenses.
Brazeau was one of three senators suspended without pay on Nov. 5, for allegedly filing inappropriate expenses. No one has been charged with a criminal offence yet, the RCMP is still investigating.
In an interview with CBC Radio's The House, Brazeau told host Evan Solomon that he has nothing to lose and that it would have been a lot easier if the RCMP had charged him, because he would have been suspended with pay. Now he's prepared to put up a fight.
"I know I didn't claim inappropriate expenses whatsoever, so if there are going to be charges then bring them on and I'll defend myself," he said.
Brazeau maintains he did not do anything wrong and that he was suspended over the amount of $144.97. Nothing compared to the thousands of dollars Duffy and Wallin are accused of misspending.
Not in recent RCMP court documents
Brazeau does not come up in the explosive RCMP court documents released last week. They reveal more details about the inner workings of the Prime Minister's Office and how involved it was in trying to fix the situation with Duffy's expenses.
But he has been watching the story unfold closely and calls it a "gong show" and said it proves what he's been saying all along, that he was thrown under the bus.
"All I can say, which is what I have said from the get go, is about a year ago I was told by a Conservative senator who sat on the committee overseeing all the expenses, saying that I was going to be put under the bus to protect Michael Duffy at the time."
As for the seemingly close ties between some Conservative senators and the Prime Minister's office revealed in the court documents, Brazeau was not surprised but is angry that the list of Conservative senators and staffers involved is long, but he is only one of a few without a paycheque now.
"Obviously we have a long list of Conservative senators and other staff members who were involved — but they are allowed to remain on the payroll."
Brazeau is actively looking for a new job, taking to Twitter to look for opportunities. But he's finding it difficult.
"I'm like any ordinary Canadian. I'm just looking to find some honest work so that I can provide for my family. And regardless if I'm a senator, if I still hold the title of senator or not, I still have to find work because the most important thing is my family," he said.
Brazeau said right now he's working on a book about his life and how government works. He's on chapter three.