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Trudeau twice said Wednesday he had no comment when asked about the deleted charge against Payette, echoing comments he made a day earlier.

He said that before any appointment to such a high-profile political post, the government conducts a thorough background search on the candidate’s past. Trudeau wouldn’t say if he had been made aware of the incident prior to her appointment.

Photo by Fred Chartrand/The Canadian Press

“I know that Mme. Payette is going to make an extraordinary governor general. She represents the very best of Canadian values, openness to the world, curiosity, intellectual rigour and inspiration. She will continue to inspire generations of Canadians as she represents us at the very highest level,” Trudeau said at an event in Quebec City.

Political appointees normally are run through a detailed vetting process that includes looking for details that could become damaging for the candidate and government should they become public. The candidate is also usually asked to volunteer any embarrassing details in their personal lives before an appointment is finalized.

Depending on the severity of the what is found, the appointment could be killed.

The final decision usually rests with the prime minister who can decide to overlook the details because the person is an exemplary candidate, or give them a pass after hearing a reasonable explanation.

“Generally, security vetting and/or interviews would catch a situation like this,” said Penny Collenette, who was Jean Chretien’s director of appointments for four years and is now an adjunct law professor at the University of Ottawa.