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Mike Duffy’s lawyer launches explosive allegations against PMO, Senate leadership

Senator Mike Duffy — through his lawyer — has come out swinging at the Prime Minister's Office and the Senate leadership.

In what can only be described as an explosive press conference, Duffy's lawyer, Donald Bayne, launched damning allegation after damning allegation in a staunch defence of his client.

The press conference in Ottawa, comes ahead of Tuesday's Senate debate on a motion to suspend Duffy — along with Senator Pamela Wallin and Senator Patrick Brazeau — without pay for his part in the ongoing Senate expense scandal.

"At my insistence, Senator Duffy and his wife Heather have maintained silence in the face of allegations made concerning Senator Duffy's senate living allowance and expense claims," Bayne started.

"Now, however, the Senate or at least the Conservative majority whipped by their leader intends to act like a mob to sentence Senator Duffy without a hearing. Without knowing the evidence and without strangely waiting for the very RCMP investigation which they called for."

[ Related: Pamela Wallin's lawyer threatens legal action against possible Senate suspension ]

Bayne continued by teasing the gathered media with pieces of said evidence, which he says is only "the tip of the iceberg."

With regard to Duffy claiming over $90,000 in a Senate living allowance, Bayne claims that Duffy did nothing wrong. The, at times angry, attorney read from correspondence from high ranking Conservative senators and the prime minister's former chief of staff Nigel Wright who at different times told Duffy that his expenses were entirely within the Senate rules.

And, with regard to Wright's $90,000 gift to Duffy to repay those expenses, Bayne said it was a politically motivated plan concocted by PMO lawyers.

"It's a scenario, in Nigel Wright's own words," said Bayne "that was created for Senator Duffy not because he had anything to hide or had made inappropriate claims, but because the PMO had decided that they wanted to sweep a political embarrassment to their Tory base under the rug."

Bayne also alleges that the PMO instructed Duffy with regard to what to say to media and told him not to cooperate with Deloitte auditors.

"They threatened Senator Duffy with wholly unconstitutional and illegal procedures of throwing him out of the Senate without a hearing if he failed to go along with it," he said.

When asked if the prime minister knew about the plan, Bayne said that he had more information but wouldn't expand.

Finally, on the issue of Duffy's false per diem claims, the lawyer suggested that those were simply administrative errors by a staffer who was going through postpartum depression.

[ Related: Mike Duffy takes medical leave as Tories prepare to suspend him, Brazeau and Wallin ]

When asked about the allegations in the House, Prime Minister Stephen Harper deflected the question.

"We fully expect all Parliamentarians to respect the letter and the spirit of any rules regarding expenses and if they do not respect that then they can expect there to be consequences and accountability for their actions," Harper said.

"Mr. Speaker...I've notice the NDP's instant opposition to the Canada Europe trade deal. I guess Mr. Speaker the reason we see them asking these kinds of questions is because on the big issues, they're wrong."

NDP ethic critic Charlie Angus told CBC News, that Bayne's comments are very damaging to the prime minister.

"It's appearing more and more that he has misled the House on this issue," Angus said.

"One of the things that we're dealing with is an unprecedented situation of the RCMP investigating a prime minister's office for a crime. What they're investigating is a secret payout to a politician that has all the hallmarks of hush money."

Former Brian Mulroney chief of staff Norman Spector tweeted this:

Political consultant Gerry Nicholls, however, suggests that Harper and the Tories can survive this.

"We need to keep in mind that Bayne has not yet produced any evidence to back up his allegations, but it they turn out to be true, yes this will present the Conservative government with a communications nightmare," Nicholls told Yahoo Canada News

"Can Harper survive the storm? Yes, he can. Just because something is generating lots of heat in the political press, doesn’t necessarily mean its resonating with voters."

(Photo courtesy of the Canadian Press)

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