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To imagine this was all just spontaneous witlessness strains credulity. At some point, you have to figure there’s a plan.

I think you can see where this is going. As things stand the story risks becoming “prime minister harasses Indigenous woman to halt fraud prosecution of corrupt Liberal-friendly megacorporation, only to fire her when she refuses — then kicks her out of the party for objecting.” A lot of people might get the idea that you’re the bad guy.

Photo by Gary Clement/National Post

How do you get them on your side? How do you, as the pros say, game-change the narrative? By approaching the scandal with such pitiable cack-handedness, such heart-rending incompetence, that you become the victim, and Wilson-Raybould the bully. Who doesn’t want to root for the underdog?

Still, as of last week the transition was incomplete. Once again, the story was in danger of dying. What could get it back on the front pages?

A lesser talent might have devised the stratagem of threatening your political opponent with a libel suit. But it takes a kind of genius to sue someone for accusing you of something you have admitted doing.

The idea of politicians suing each other for practising their trade — slandering each other — will admittedly strike many as absurd, rather like hockey players charging each other with assault. Stephen Harper looked like a fool when he tried it. But by this point the inanity of merely repeating his mistake would have been priced in. For the gambit to pay off, the Trudeau team would have to exceed previous expectations of ineptitude.