Last spring, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford was compelled to say that "I do not use crack cocaine, nor am I an addict of crack cocaine" because of reports about a video that allegedly showed him doing just that.
Now he's back in the same uncomfortable spotlight.
"Toronto Police have recovered the video that appears to show Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine," Toronto'sThe Star newspaper reports.
The CBC writes that at a press conference, Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair said that images of Ford on the video are "consistent with that which had previously been described in various media reports."
But while Blair added that "it's fair to say that the mayor does appear in that video," he also said "I'm not going to get into the detail of what activity is depicted on that video."
In addition to saying he does not use crack, Ford previously questioned whether any such video existed or whether it might have been fabricated. He also blamed the news media for spreading a "ridiculous" story.
According to the CBC, earlier on Thursday, before police released documents related to the investigation, "Ford got into an angry shouting match with reporters in the driveway of his home." There's video of the confrontation here. As reporters pepper Ford with questions, he repeatedly asks them to "get off my driveway."
The Star has posted copies of the police documents, which add up to 474 pages of material.
CTV has video of Police Chief Blair's news conference here.
There were no reports as of midday Thursday about any charges against Ford or the possibility that there will be any. The Star says that one person, Alexander Sandro Lisi, "will face an extortion charge related to the video. The Star earlier reported that Lisi was involved in attempts to recover the video."
Ford, 44, is a political independent. (The city has nonpartisan mayoral elections.) For much more on him, see this CBC package — "The Agony of Rob Ford."
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