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To recap: Responding to a bombshell Globe and Mail story, Trudeau denies that he or anyone in his office “directed” Wilson-Raybould to abandon the SNC-Lavalin prosecution. But no one alleged he had; the allegation was of improper pressure, influence or suasion. It takes many subsequent hours before Liberal MP Marco Mendicino, for some reason, flatly denies the actual allegation.

The mess Trudeau’s team made of this file beggars belief

Anonymous “senior government officials” then concede there might well have been “vigorous debate” involving Wilson-Raybould and the PMO, but that it didn’t amount to “pressure.” And in any event, the Globe reported, “another (anonymous) official said the PMO had every right to raise the prosecution case with the justice minister … because a conviction could destroy the company and hurt thousands of workers.”

So nothing bad happened. But perhaps the bad thing isn’t really that bad. Righty-o.

Trudeau then belatedly reveals that he personally had discussed SNC-Lavalin with Wilson-Raybould — but that it was mutually understood the decision whether on not to prosecute was hers. He adds that Wilson-Raybould is not unhappy with the government. “Her presence in cabinet should actually speak for itself,” he said.

Photo by REUTERS/Chris Wattie

This effectively forces Wilson-Raybould, whom everyone knew was unhappy — witness her remarkable post-demotion manifesto — to resign, which she did hours later, making everything worse.

Trudeau then tries to turn it back on Wilson-Raybould: If she had been pressured then “it was her responsibility to come forward to me this past fall and highlight that directly to me.” He was “puzzled” that she had not done so, yet felt the need to resign.