Stephen Harper鈥檚 former chief of staff says he didn鈥檛 lie to the prime minister when he told him that Mike Duffy would be repaying his expenses and that he didn鈥檛 want the senator to go ahead with an audit because it might hurt the Conservatives politically.
Duffy鈥檚 lawyer, Donald Bayne, asked Nigel Wright on the stand Monday why he lied to Harper when he told him that the former Conservative senator would repay the money, when, in fact, the Conservative Party had originally agreed to foot the bill.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I lied to the prime minister,鈥� Wright answered.
鈥淚 just felt it wasn鈥檛 on my list of things I needed to check with him,鈥� Wright added.
Wright ended up personally repaying Duffy鈥檚 expenses after it turned out they totalled $90,000 -- not $32,000 as originally estimated.
Bayne also asked Wright why he was okay with the fact that Duffy went on television and said he had repaid the money when that wasn鈥檛 true.
鈥淭his is what he required in order to make the repayment,鈥� Wright said, adding, 鈥淚 thought the repayment itself was critical.鈥�
Bayne has repeatedly suggested that Wright forced Duffy into a PMO-orchestrated plan to repay the money, even though the senator wanted to defend himself.
On Monday, Bayne said that Duffy was 鈥渜uite willing鈥� to co-operate with an audit by the firm Deloitte and to 鈥渓et the chips fall.鈥�
Bayne asked Wright, 鈥淲hy didn鈥檛 you let him?鈥�
Wright said that he didn鈥檛 want Duffy to defend his claims publically because it could hurt the Conservatives politically, telling the court 鈥渢he expenses were wrong.鈥�
Bayne also referred to an email Duffy wrote to his lawyer Janice Payne in February 2013, saying that Wright and others in the Prime Minister鈥檚 Office had worked out a 鈥渟cenario鈥� for him that includes 鈥渃ash for the repayment.鈥�
Duffy wrote that Wright didn鈥檛 make a direct threat, but one that 鈥渟eems obvious鈥� -- the senator either had to agree to the deal or be thrown out of the Red Chamber based on a residency issue.
Wright told the court Duffy鈥檚 characterization of their conversation was inaccurate and that there was 鈥渘o implicit or explicit threat.鈥�
Wright testified he simply didn鈥檛 find Duffy鈥檚 argument that his true home was in Prince Edward Island 鈥減ersuasive.鈥�
Wright said he didn鈥檛 want the former Conservative senator to publicly defend himself by claiming that P.E.I. was his primary residence. The government 鈥渨ould not stand behind鈥� Duffy if he claimed that he lived in P.E.I, he said.
Wright said from an 鈥渋ssues management鈥� perspective, it was 鈥渂etter for Sen. Duffy鈥� if people believed he had paid back the money himself.
He also said that Duffy did not have caucus support.
鈥淭here were members who were quite upset with these expenses.鈥�
Bayne suggested that Duffy, defending his expenses, 鈥渁ffected the government reputation and your objective was to get this done quickly.鈥�
Wright agreed.
Last week, Wright testified he viewed paying Duffy鈥檚 expenses as an 鈥渙bligation鈥� and he believed he was doing the right thing.
But Bayne hasn鈥檛 pulled any punches during his cross-examination, suggesting Wright actions weren鈥檛 a 鈥済ood deed,鈥� but rather a political cover-up.
Bayne has been arguing that Duffy resisted the repayment plan and was forced to go along with it against his will.
Wright said Monday that he had to be persistent with Duffy, but the senator agreed to the plan on his own.
Wright said that even if a Deloitte audit of Duffy鈥檚 expenses concluded they were 鈥渢echnically OK,鈥� that wouldn鈥檛 鈥渁chieve what I wanted, which was to have expenses repaid.鈥�
鈥淚t was not what was technically OK, it is whether it鈥檚 right or wrong.鈥� Wright said.
Last week, Wright told the court that Harper only knew in 鈥渂road terms鈥� he was working on getting Duffy to repay his expenses.
Harper didn鈥檛 know of the original plan to have the Conservative Party pay, nor that Wright himself ended up handing over the $90,000, he testified.
Harper has maintained he had no knowledge of the Wright-Duffy deal.
During a campaign stop in Fredericton, N.B., on Monday, Harper didn鈥檛 directly answer questions about the involvement of other PMO staff, which is detailed in numerous emails tabled in court.
how he felt about the fact that his current chief of staff, Ray Novak, 鈥渒nowingly allowed (him) to repeat a lie for months that Mike Duffy had repaid his own expenses when that wasn't the case.鈥�
鈥淚've been very clear about this,鈥� Harper responded.
鈥淚 hold Mr. Duffy accountable for not having repaid his expenses, and Mr. Wright responsible for those expenses not having been repaid. It was those two gentlemen's obligation to make sure this was done correctly. They did not, and they are solely responsible, and that's why they are being held accountable.鈥�
Novak was among those who was copied on emails related to the plan for to repay Duffy鈥檚 expenses, including one sent by Wright to Novak and PMO lawyer Benjamin Perrin on March 23, 2013 that said in part, "I will send my cheque on Monday."
Duffy鈥檚 lawyer suggested Tuesday that he would not call Novak as a witness.
Criminal defence lawyer Leo Russomanno explained on CTV Power Play that 鈥渃alling a witness as part of your case that鈥檚 not necessarily friendly to your client is a very dangerous proposition 鈥� because he can鈥檛 lead the witness the way that Mr. Bayne has been doing so the last few days to Mr. Wright.鈥�
鈥淚f you think you have a witness that isn鈥檛 going to give you what you want and isn鈥檛 going to be friendly to your case, you鈥檙e basically just going to provide them with forum to bury your client,鈥� Russomanno said.
Live updates
Follow along with our live blog for updates from CTV's Katie Simpson at the courthouse in Ottawa for the Mike Duffy trial:
