Toronto Mayor Admits Smoking Crack in a “Drunken Stupor” but Refuses to Resign
Photo Credit: Nathan Denette/APHours after dropping a bombshell admission that he had smoked crack cocaine in a “drunken stupor” during his time in office, the mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford, made his second startling announcement of the day on Tuesday: that he would not be stepping down.
At a press conference shortly after he told reporters he had smoked crack as recently as a year ago, Ford apologised to the people of Toronto for embarrassing them.
“With today’s announcement, I know I have embarrassed everyone in this city, and I will be forever sorry,” Ford said at a press conference. “There’s only one person to blame for this and that is myself.”
Allegations over his drug use have swirled around Ford for months amid reports of a video that allegedly showed him smoking crack. He had previously denied such a video existed, but last week, Toronto police said they had recovered a recording which appeared to show him puffing on a crack pipe.
Appearing in front of reporters who had been waiting outside his office for two hours following his earlier admission over his cocaine use, Ford gave a short speech in which he apologised several times. He said admitting what he described as “my mistake” was the most difficult and embarrassing thing he has ever done, but that doing it gave him a huge sense of relief.
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