Harper testifies in court that he personally authorized Cadman offer

This story cannot be completely correct -- Harper has not testified in court expect in the sense he delivered an affidavit and was examined on it. What will be interesting is to see how, if at all, this plays in the election.

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OTTAWA - Prime Minister Stephen Harper has testified that he personally authorized an offer made to late MP Chuck Cadman in 2005 for help defeating the Liberal government.

In sworn testimony filed Wednesday in Ontario Superior Court, Harper said it happened after he heard Cadman was willing to side with the Tories but couldn't because of financial distress and fear of losing an election.

It was Harper's first detailed account of his role in the so-called Cadman affair and, during four hours of testimony, he offered two different versions of when he first learned about Cadman's financial troubles.

Harper said he approved the overture to Cadman on May 18, 2005, the day before a crucial confidence vote, after receiving a message from his top political organizer and campaign manager, Doug Finley.

Full story here:

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/080903/national/harper_cadman