"CBC News searched for historical registration data using DomainTools and confirmed that dozens of email addresses attached to UCP members were all purchased by anonymous sources in the lead-up to the UCP leadership vote, between Sept. 20 and Oct. 13, 2017.
Many of those emails, with domains like link3mail.com and jaringmail.com, all link back to the same web host.
It is not known who bought those email addresses."
Albertans have been overwhelmed this past week with a deluge of controversy and scandal from the UCP. With candidates dropping out because of racist, transphobic, and misogynist views, the return of proposed legislation to out LGBTQ kids in school GSAs, impossible promises to "opt out" of equalization payments, and so on, some may have lost sight of the first big scandal.
It strongly appears that Jason Kenney cheated in the leadership election back in 2017. Not just in one way, the identity theft and fake votes, but also with the kamikaze campaign of Jeff Callaway.
And the question remains, can someone who cheated to become leader of a party then become Premier of the province?
Some will say that he would have won anyway, that the cheating only increased the margin of his win. But that's not really the point, is it? Shouldn't our elected officials be held to a very high level of integrity? Shouldn't being a cheat disqualify someone from holding such an important office?
I know, the investigation is still underway. And it likely will not conclude before the election. Also, Kenney has been at this political game a long time. It's all he's ever really done. He learned from Harper. He no doubt has plausible deniability built into this scenario. He will say, if it is proven that these acts of cheating happened, that he didn't know. That it was over-zealous campaign staffers. That no one told him.
But just as it was impossible for thinking people to believe that a micromanaging control freak like Harper had no idea about Nigel Wright paying off Mike Duffy's fines, it is impossible to imagine Kenney had no clue of all the machinations that seem to have gone on in the leadership race.
I referred to politics as a game. But it is not. Some politicians conduct themselves as though it was, but their actions have very real consequences for real people. If Kenney wins and changes the rules about GSAs, it is almost certain kids will suffer. Some will probably die.
It's not a game. And we need to be very, very careful when we choose the party that will form the next government of Alberta.
UPDATE:
New thread by CBC investigative reporter and editor Charles Rusnell (March 28, 2019):
UPDATE:
New thread by CBC investigative reporter and editor Charles Rusnell (March 28, 2019):
The thread continues:
Around early July 2017: This is when former UCP MLA Derek Fildebrandt says Kenney asks him to be a stalking horse candidate. Kenney denies this. 2/
July 19, 2017: This is when former UCP nomination candidate Happy Mann alleges he, Kenney, and others met with Callaway, who allegedly agreed to be Kenney’s secret candidate to attack Jean.
Kenney admits a meeting occurred but denies Callaway was recruited. 3/
Aug. 6, 2017: UCP member Mark Hudson records conversation with Callaway campaign organizer Wendy Adam and her husband.
Adam says Callaway will be “able to say things about Brian Jean that Jason Kenney cannot.”
Hudson says: “It’s a ‘kamikaze’ mission.” 4/
Aug. 10, 2017: Callaway announces he is entering the leadership race. Earlier that day, Davies had emailed a copy of Callaway’s launch speech to Matt Wolf, a senior staffer in Kenney’s campaign. 5/
Aug. 13, 2017: Davies emails Wolf a communications plan for the Callaway campaign, including a rough date for when Callaway would withdraw from the race.
Davies also sends the email to Shuvaloy Majumdar, an associate of [Stephen] Harper & Associates, 6/
Over next several weeks, Wolf provides Callaway campaign with resources, including speeches, media and debate talking points, attack videos and graphics. Keep in mind, Wolf is a senior staff in the @jkenney leadership campaign 7/
Oct. 4, 2017: Early that morning, Wolf emails Callaway and his campaign a resignation speech for Callaway to give. Callaway resigns later that day and endorses Kenney. 8/
March 18, 2019: Kenney tells reporters he only learned about Callaway’s decision to resign and endorse him “the night before he made that announcement.” 9/
For this to be true, Wolf, Majumdar, and others must have withheld from Kenney for nearly two months the fact that Wolf had supported and helped orchestrate the Callaway campaign against Jean. 10/
Also for this to be true, Wolf and others must also have withheld from Kenney that the Callaway campaign had stated from the beginning that Callaway intended to quit the race. 11/
Given that the "kamikaze" campaign has created a huge public relations problem for the #ucp and #jkenney, and election commission and RCMP investigations, you would think Matt Wolf would be persona non grata. We checked, he's still working for the campaign 12/
July 19, 2017: This is when former UCP nomination candidate Happy Mann alleges he, Kenney, and others met with Callaway, who allegedly agreed to be Kenney’s secret candidate to attack Jean.
Kenney admits a meeting occurred but denies Callaway was recruited. 3/
Aug. 6, 2017: UCP member Mark Hudson records conversation with Callaway campaign organizer Wendy Adam and her husband.
Adam says Callaway will be “able to say things about Brian Jean that Jason Kenney cannot.”
Hudson says: “It’s a ‘kamikaze’ mission.” 4/
Aug. 10, 2017: Callaway announces he is entering the leadership race. Earlier that day, Davies had emailed a copy of Callaway’s launch speech to Matt Wolf, a senior staffer in Kenney’s campaign. 5/
Aug. 13, 2017: Davies emails Wolf a communications plan for the Callaway campaign, including a rough date for when Callaway would withdraw from the race.
Davies also sends the email to Shuvaloy Majumdar, an associate of [Stephen] Harper & Associates, 6/
Over next several weeks, Wolf provides Callaway campaign with resources, including speeches, media and debate talking points, attack videos and graphics. Keep in mind, Wolf is a senior staff in the @jkenney leadership campaign 7/
Oct. 4, 2017: Early that morning, Wolf emails Callaway and his campaign a resignation speech for Callaway to give. Callaway resigns later that day and endorses Kenney. 8/
March 18, 2019: Kenney tells reporters he only learned about Callaway’s decision to resign and endorse him “the night before he made that announcement.” 9/
For this to be true, Wolf, Majumdar, and others must have withheld from Kenney for nearly two months the fact that Wolf had supported and helped orchestrate the Callaway campaign against Jean. 10/
Also for this to be true, Wolf and others must also have withheld from Kenney that the Callaway campaign had stated from the beginning that Callaway intended to quit the race. 11/
Given that the "kamikaze" campaign has created a huge public relations problem for the #ucp and #jkenney, and election commission and RCMP investigations, you would think Matt Wolf would be persona non grata. We checked, he's still working for the campaign 12/
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