Did Mayor Rob Ford call a radio show claiming to be ‘Ian from Etobicoke’?

A Toronto radio host says he believes Mayor Rob Ford called into his program Thursday afternoon and used a false identity to defend his now-defunct claim that a controversial video did not exist.

Ford has long asserted that claims by the Toronto Star and Gawker, that reporters were shown a video of what appears to by the mayor smoking from a crack pipe, were false and that the video did not exist.

However, Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair announced on Thursday that investigators had recovered the video and handed it over to Crown attorneys. What followed was a near-complete collapse of support for Ford, save for the most ardent members of Ford Nation who are willing to overlook anything for their idol.

[ Related: Mayor Rob Ford has 'no reason to resign' after police confirm recovery of suspect video ]

AM640's Bill Carroll claims that Ford himself called into his radio program Thursday afternoon under the name "Ian from Etobicoke," and put forward a Ford Nation-style defence that could end up being the mayor's official party line.

"How do you know when you are being videotaped? Do you know?" the caller said. "How do you know what you do exactly? There's cameras everywhere."

A suspicious Carroll asked: "Mayor Ford, I know your voice. This is you, isn't it Mayor Ford?" The caller then abruptly ended the call. Carroll later commented that he had spent his career working with voices and believed he had correctly identified Ford's distinct cadence and phrasing.

[ More Brew: Mayor Rob Ford scandal spreads globally, condemned locally ]

As bizarre as it may be for an embattled mayor to call into a radio station to anonymously defend himself, it wouldn't be unheard of.

Ford's friend and employee David Price was outed as frequent caller to Ford's own radio program, on Newstalk 1010, before he joined Ford's staff. Price was later suspended after anonymously calling Toronto Sun reporter Don Peat to complain about a story.

Ford himself made headlines just recently for calling Ford-friendly Sun columnist Joe Warmington and berating him over an unfriendly article. Regardless of history, this call could be a glimpse into the mind of Ford, who has otherwise refused to discuss the matter publicly.

If Ford argues that he wasn't lying about the existence of a video recording because he didn't know about being recorded, it is unlikely to sway many opinions in either direction.

The claim is specious at best and, at worst, just another lie from a man who thinks he can save himself if he tells enough of them.

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