How does Rob Ford apologize for calling a reporter a pedophile? Not so well, apparently.
Ever-beleaguered Toronto Mayor Rob Ford was facing a libel lawsuit after he implied that a reporter for the Toronto Star might be a pedophile.
In addition to the various problems that have arisen because of his crack-smoking, Ford had to contend with Daniel Dale, a reporter who said he would continue with the lawsuit despite Ford’s apology. “I think his words were clearly inadequate,” Dale told CTV News. “I asked for full retraction of all the false claims made against me and an unreserved abject apology. And whatever you call this, this was not that.”
It started during a recent TV appearance by Ford, in which he was asked about the worst experience he’s had with the media during his tenure. Ford referred to a confrontation with Dale at his home in May, 2012. “I guess the worst one was Daniel Dale in my backyard taking pictures,” he said. “I have little kids. When a guy’s taking pictures of little kids, I don’t want to say that word but you start thinking, ‘What’s this guy all about?’”
Dale explained that he had been at Ford’s house doing research on a story about Ford’s request to purchase public land, and that, “His kids were nowhere in sight. I saw no children. More importantly, after I offered to let police go through the phone, they saw no pictures whatsoever from that night.”
Following the interview, Dale threatened to sue unless Ford would “immediately retract the false insinuation that I am a pedophile and all of his false statements about my conduct on May 2, 2012. I’m also asking Ford and Vision-owner ZoomerMedia to apologize immediately ‘publicly, abjectly, unreservedly and completely.’ If Ford does not do so, we’ll see if he is willing to repeat his lies under penalty of perjury.”
Ford’s Tuesday apology apparently did not meet these criteria. “I did not mean to insinuate anything about Mr. Dale personally in my interview” Ford said in a City Council meeting, adding: “I certainly did not intend to suggest that he is a pedophile.”
Apparently it was a big day for Ford to get in some apologies: In that same meeting, Ford expressed remorse to the Toronto City Council for calling them “corrupt.” They seemed to have forgiven him more quickly than Dale: As Jimmy Kimmel pointed out in a segment Tuesday night, the meeting was followed by a bizarre display of dancing by Ford and the other City Council members. “What the hell is going on?” Kimmel asked. “Are they all on crack?”
“Canadians are much much weirder than any of us had any idea they were,” he said.
Watch:
In the last hour, however, The Toronto Star reported that Dale has dropped his lawsuit after Ford tried again and issued a two-page apology Wednesday evening declaring his previous statements as false.
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