Councillor Doug Ford and Mayor Rob Ford are decrying what they call a “witch hunt” and promising legal action over renewed allegations they tried to influence city hall on behalf of one of their business clients.

A rival candidate and the deputy mayor are asking the city’s integrity commissioner to release findings in an investigation into the Fords’ business dealings ahead of the October election.

Meanwhile, the co-founder of the watchdog group who filed the original complaint says the case warrants a police investigation.

The Ford brothers have been accused of trying to help U.S. printing company RR Donnelly win a city contract while their business, Deco Labels and Tags, was sub-contracted to print luggage tags for RR Donnelly through a partner, Moore Canada, according to a new report from the Globe and Mail. Meetings between city officials and the company over a printing contract were arranged by the Fords in 2011, the paper reported.

City officials say the Fords did not disclose their relationship with the company.

“This company, we have done absolutely nothing wrong,” Doug Ford told the Star Monday. “We don’t do that s---.”

He said Deco has only done two orders for RR Donnelley in the past 15 years and that he hasn’t talked to the company in four years.

Ford accused the Globe of having “stolen information” about his company for their most recent story — which references an internal spreadsheet seen by reporters. The spreadsheet, according to the Globe report, lists Moore Canada as a client and Doug Ford as the point salesperson.

“This is a vicious attack,” Ford said of the Globe. “If there’s false accusations against our company, they will be held accountable.”

Speaking to reporters in Scarborough on Monday, Rob Ford said he is “not quite sure” if RR Donnelley was even a client.

“You have to be careful what you guys say. There could be legal proceedings going on as we speak,” Ford said.

He then claimed Deco does business with “every single company, almost,” in Ontario and around the world.

“Our business is our business. I don’t ask you how much money you’ve got in the bank,” he said. “If I have to declare a conflict with every single company or every single person, then I shouldn’t be in politics for 14 years or neither should my dad or anyone else in our family. And that’s the bottom line.”

In a statement provided to the Star Monday, Ford claimed he is “fully committed to transparency and the rules” set out in the code of conduct.

He said RR Donnelley approached them claiming they could save the city “millions of dollars” in printing costs and they set up a meeting to “explore their claim.”

“At no time did I, or anyone in my office attempt to influence the decisions of City staff during or after the meeting with RR Donnelley,” the statement reads.

The Globe and Mail defended its report Monday.

“The Globe did not steal information as alleged by Councillor Ford,” editor-in-chief David Walmsley said in an email. “We received reliable information, that was clearly in the public interest, from a credible confidential source.”

The Fords have previously threatened legal action, which they have never followed up on, including against council when the mayor’s powers were stripped in November. Doug Ford also once said he would sue owners of parody accounts on Twitter if he could find them.

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In June, Doug Ford accused Councillor Karen Stintz, who is also running for mayor, of stealing email lists from the mayor’s office.

Doug Ford has often described reports and investigations as witch hunts, including Chief Bill Blair conducting a police investigation into the mayor and his dealings with alleged criminals.

An employee who answered the phone at RR Donnelley Canada said the company has “no comment.” A message left at the office where Moore Canada appears to be partnered with RR Donnelley was not returned.

Democracy Watch co-founder Duff Conacher, who filed the complaint with the integrity commissioner Janet Leiper, said there should also be a criminal investigation in this case.

The Supreme Court of Canada set out in a 2006 case, R. v. Boulanger, that to establish breach of trust, five elements must be met. One of those elements is that the person accused intended to act with a “corrupt” purpose, Conacher outlined.

“The issue that this raises . . . is whether this crosses the line of breach of trust in the Criminal Code,” Conacher said. “There’s enough there that there should be an investigation to determine whether there was any communications about — ‘You’ve given us lots of business and we’re now going to try to get some city business for you.’”

To find the Fords breached the city’s own code of conduct, Conacher said the integrity commissioner needs only to show that RR Donnelley was in fact a client and that the Fords were trying to advance their private interests by helping them.

Last week, John Tory’s campaign sent a letter to Leiper, asking if the matter would be dealt with ahead of the election.

“People need to know before the election whether this kind of gravy train is running through city hall,” Tory told the Star Monday.

Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly told reporters outside his city hall office that it’s not an “unreasonable” request for the investigation to be concluded before Oct. 27.

“It’s a serious enough allegation that I think it should be addressed one way or the other,” Kelly said.

Leiper, who works full-time as a lawyer, only works part-time for the city. It’s not clear what would happen if her findings are not ready before the term’s last council meeting on Aug. 25. Leiper is mandated to report all findings to council, who decide on any sanctions if warranted.

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