Premier Danny Williams has responded to an email in which it was asked if he was bipolar or potentially suffering from syphilis, calling the comments “mean spirited” and “vile.”
The email was written in 2009 by then-Business Post editor Craig Westcott. Sent to the premier’s office, it has come to light since Westcott’s appointment as communications director for the provincial Liberals.
The piece of correspondence was called a joke Wednesday by Liberal Kelvin Parsons.
“What the Liberal party does with regards to who it hires is their business. We have no control over that, nor any say in it,” Williams said.
“From my personal perspective, it became quite obvious to us late last week or earlier in the week that Mr. Westcott had indicated that he was going to be directing the communications, he was going to be actively involved in policy for the Liberal party and his own personal agenda was against me, personally, and that’s been ongoing for some time, so that wasn’t new news to me,” he said. “But I did feel it was important that the people of the province know who they’re dealing with and what they’re dealing with when this man is now an integral part of the official opposition in this province.
“His behaviour has been vile, for want of a better term. You know, the statements that he made in the email were very, very offensive. Not only offensive to me but offensive to a lot of people. Then, when he and the Liberal party came back and said that this was really a joke, that just made it worse.
“Once they’ve said they made a joke, what they’ve done is they’ve offended anybody or any family or anybody in the province and the associations who try to better issues of mental health.”
“His behaviour has been vile, for want of a better term. You know, the statements that he made in the email were very, very offensive." - Premier Danny Williams
Williams called the comments “mean spirited” and said he felt it was important to point out Westcott’s previous actions.
“I don’t want the caucus members in my party subjected to this kind of vile behaviour. I think it’s important that the people in Newfoundland and Labrador know that, over the next 11 months, this is the direction that the Libral party and the official opposition are taking and that’s really not in the best interests of this province.”
Williams made the statements after taking questions with President of the Nunatsiavut government, Jim Lyall, on a landmark joint cabinet meeting taking place at the Confederation Building in St. John’s this morning.
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RANDY wrote "while soldiers are dyeing " Dictionary definition of "dyeing": to color or stain; treat with a dye; color (cloth, hair, etc.) with a substance containing coloring matter: to dye a dress green. to impart (color) by means of a dye: The coloring matter dyed green. " Before you make you negative comments, learn how to spell ! And the comments were "vile" and immature, and pathetic. And I congratulate Mr. O'Brien for making it public! What a great spokesman for the Liberal party, someone with this mentality and attitude towards others leaders ! ! He should be fired ! But no one in the Liberal Party seems to have the guts, or common decency to do so! What's that old saying "Birds of a feather . . . . . . "