Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, who admitted he has smoked crack cocaine but said that it was due to his drunkenness, now says he’s clean and sober and will take a sobriety test to prove it to the public.
“I haven’t had a drop of alcohol in five weeks,” he said, the Daily Mail reported. “I was never an alcoholic. But you know, I’d like to have a few drinks on the weekends, like I think a lot of people do. But a couple of times, I made a fool of myself, if you want to be frank.”
Mr. Ford made the vow to disgraced journalist Conrad Black, who was jailed for 37 months for obstruction of justice. Mr. Black, however, said in preview of the sobriety test that many had prejudged Mr. Ford — that the “piling on” of the mayor had “been excessive,” the Daily Mail reported.
“He was elected mayor of Toronto and those who do not like his style will be free to vote against him if he runs again,” Mr. Black said in the newspaper. “If there is sufficient evidence to prosecute him with crimes, due process should be followed. But he should be accorded a full presumption of innocence unless he is justly convicted.”
Barring that, Mr. Black said, “his accusers should put up or shut up,” the Daily Mail reported.
In early November, Mr. Ford said: “Yes, I have smoked crack cocaine but … am I an addict? No. Have I tried it? Um, probably in one of my drunken stupors, probably approximately about a year ago.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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