TORONTO – After months of denial, embattled Toronto mayor Rob Ford on Tuesday admitted that he has smoked crack cocaine.
“Exactly. Yes, I have smoked crack cocaine,” Ford told questioning reporters at City Hall after the Toronto police last week revealed they have recovered a video posted by Gawker last May, which seemed to show the mayor inhaling from a glass pipe.
Ford said he smoked the illicit drug “about a year ago” in a “drunken stupor.”
At the same time, the mayor denied he had a drug addiction and said he couldn’t remember his drug use being videotaped.
He added he wanted to see the video to recall the event.
Ford on Sunday begged for forgiveness for unspecified “mistakes,” so his admission Tuesday sent the growing scandal around his mayoralty to a new level of global media attention.
The shocking admission also follows Toronto police wrapping up an extensive investigation into Ford and the existence of the infamous video.
A Toronto court also made public extensive police evidence of regular phone and personal contact between Ford and alleged drug dealer Alexander “Sandro” Lisi.
Lisi on Friday was formally charged with extortion and released on bail, apparently in connection with efforts last May to recover the aforementioned videotape.
