Under fire Toronto mayor Rob Ford has finally admitted that he smoked crack ‘probably a year ago’ when he was in a ‘drunken stupor.’
Ford’s admission to reporters on Tuesday follows six months of accusations during which the embattled mayor has repeatedly refused to step down. The allegations that he had been caught on video smoking crack surfaced in May.
‘Yes, I have smoked crack cocaine,’ Ford told reporters on Tuesday outside his office.
After the allegations about the crack smoking video first surfaced in May, Ford initially insisted the video didn’t exist and sidestepped questions about whether he had ever smoked crack.
He was forced to backtrack after police said last week that they had obtained a copy of the video, which has not been released publicly.
‘Yes, I have smoked crack cocaine,’ Ford told reporters outside his office. ‘There have been times when I’ve been in a drunken stupor. That’s why I want to see the tape. I want everyone in the city to see this tape. I don’t even recall there being a tape or video. I want to see the state that I was in.’
Ford walked out of his office and asked reporters to ask him the question they first asked him in May. He acknowledged he smoked it but said: ‘Am I an addict? No. Have I tried it, probably in one of my drunken stupors a year ago.’
