Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is at the center of another controversy after Gawker and The Toronto Star reported on a video of Ford allegedly smoking crack out of a glass pipe.
Ford's lawyer, Dennis Morris, told a Canadian radio station that he doesn't know "whether or not such a video exists" but that "it would be fair for the public to see such a video and make their own conclusions."
Morris also said that Ford denies the allegations.
This is far from the first time Ford has been caught up in controversy.
In March, The Toronto Star reported that Ford was asked to leave a military gala because organizers were concerned that he was intoxicated. One member of the organizing committee told the newspaper that Ford "seemed either drunk, high or had a medical condition." People who attended the event said he was "nervous, excited, sweaty, out of it."
The Star also claimed that some of Ford's staff members have repeatedly tried to persuade the mayor to get help for an alcohol problem.
Ford responded by calling The Star "pathological liars."
Earlier that month, one of Ford's former mayoral opponents accused him of grabbing her ass and hitting on her at an event for young Jewish professionals. Ford denied the allegations.
In November, Ford was nearly forced out of office for violating conflict of interest rules. Using city letterhead, he solicited donations from lobbyists for his football charity. The court granted Ford's appeal of their decision to remove him from office.
Earlier in 2012, he said that he wanted to ban anyone convicted of a gun crime from Toronto. He said on a radio show: "Once they’re charged and they go to jail the most important thing is when they get out of jail, I don’t want them living in this city. They can go anywhere else, but I don’t want them in the city.....whatever I can do to get them out of the city I’m going to, regardless of whether they have family or friends."
He also made headlines when he was caught on camera eating KFC during a citywide weightloss campaign.
In 2011, Keith Olbermann called Ford the "worst person in the world" after Ford called 911 when a well-known actress posing as a reporter showed up at his house to do a mock interview with him for a satirical TV show. Ford was reportedly swearing at the 911 operators.
Also in 2011, reports of domestic disputes involving Ford and his wife surfaced. Police responded to a "verbal altercation" at his home in October and his wife's mother called police on Christmas morning after Ford took the couple's children to the airport, saying he was going to Florida.
He was also charged in Florida once for drunk driving and possession of marijuana.
The alleged video of Ford smoking crack has not yet surfaced online. Reporters for Gawker and The Star say they've seen it, but the people in possession of the video are asking for a six-figure sum of money to purchase it. There's already a crowdsourcing effort on Indiegogo for anyone who wants to contribute to buying the video.
Please follow Business Insider on Twitter and Facebook.
Join the conversation about this story »
     |