Local expert says Clement is done
By Jeremy Appel on November 10, 2018.
jappel@medicinehatnews.com @MHNJeremyAppel A Medicine Hat College political analyst says Tony Clement’s career is likely finished. The Ontario MP was ejected from the Conservative caucus this week after announcing he was being extorted by someone he had sent racy photos to online. “It’s not going to be as bad as the Anthony Wiener case,” Jim Groom said, referring to the disgraced former U.S. congressman who was sentenced to jail for sending lewd images to a 15-year-old girl. However, Groom still doesn’t think a comeback is in the cards for Clement. “He’s had his career,” said Groom. “He’s been around a while through the Conservative time in power and held a number of different ministries. “It’s hard to be credible when you’re not credible.” Conservative leader Andrew Scheer initially announced he was merely removing Clement from his shadow cabinet roles, taking the MP’s word that it was a one-off error of judgment. “It is a little unusual that the one time you’re involved in something like this you get blackmailed,” said Groom. Scheer backpedalled later that day, kicking Clement out of caucus after more revelations came out regarding his history of inappropriate social media activity. Groom says it’s highly plausible Clement was blackmailed by agents of a foreign power, given the recent history of Russian agents allegedly interfering in western elections. Clement said his would-be extortionist demanded 50,000 Euros, which would appear to suggest they’re not domestic. “The worst-case scenario is that he holds a top-secret clearance so that he can work on the National Security and Intelligence Committee and those folks are briefed on the sensitivities and vulnerabilities that they have,” said Groom. Members of that committee are supposed to exert particular caution so they aren’t susceptible to blackmail, he added. “He’s not in the government per se now, but he’s still in a position of power and if they ever did get back into power, he would have probably been a minister,” Groom said. “The intelligence services of the world look at the long game. They (engage in) succession planning of who’s going to be in the next time and who’s going to be out, and can we develop a relationship with them now and use it later on?” Although it sounds like the plot of a John Le Carre novel, Groom says these methods are very real, dating back to the Cold War. 18
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