TORONTO

Doug Ford says Rob Ford is in rehab but won’t say where while Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti accused some councillors of wanting the mayor to die.

The embattled mayor has been out of the public spotlight since last Thursday when he took a formal leave of absence from his job and his re-election campaign. But while Ford flew to the U.S. last week, he didn’t enter the country.

Roy Norton, the Consul General of Canada in Chicago, confirmed Tuesday that Ford flew to Chicago but didn’t stay.

“U.S. (Customs and Border Protection) confirmed to us that Mayor Ford arrived in Chicago last Thursday and that after discussion with U.S. CBP he withdrew his request to enter the USA and departed,” Norton told the Sun.

Norton said the consulate wasn’t involved until after the fact.

“We contacted U.S. Customs and Border Protection to see what they could tell us (we made clear to U.S. CBP our awareness of the privacy considerations by which they - and their Canadian counterparts - operate),” he said.

Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti said Mayor Ford’s “history shows he would owe this city an explanation” on his whereabouts.

“The mayor should explain where he’s going to be and how long he anticipates being there,” Mammoliti said. “I think everybody will leave him alone if he does that.

“Right now nobody in this city believes him and trusts him on any of this. If a plane landed and he didn’t get off, he better tell this city where he is going for treatment.”

But Mammoliti went on to suggest “all the lefties” on council want to see Ford die.

“A number of people in council would like to see him dead and die of this ailment,” Mammoliti said.

“I don’t think they’d feel any remorse if he did.”

Councillor Ford refused to speak about his brother not entering the U.S. and wouldn’t say where the mayor was attending rehab.

“It’s no one’s business but his own,” Ford said.

“For the one millionth time, Rob Ford is in a rehabilitation program.”

Doug Ford said he has spoken to the mayor since he entered rehab.

“He’s doing well,” he said.

He argued he can’t say where the mayor is attending rehab.

“Do you want the truth? Because the media would be staking out the place with other people that are in the rehab and it is very confidential to those people,” Ford said. “He’s in rehab and that’s all everyone cares about. No one in Toronto cares about where he is, they are concerned about him getting rehab.

“I’m happy, I’m relieved that Rob is getting the support he needs.”

Last Wednesday, Ford announced he was taking a leave in the wake of a report of a new video showing him allegedly smoking crack cocaine and the Sun’s report of an audio tape of Ford ranting obscenities in a bar in Etobicoke.

In his statement, Ford made no mention of drugs but admitted he has an alcohol addiction.

“I have a problem with alcohol, and the choices I have made while under the influence. I have struggled with this for some time,” he stated.

“I have tried to deal with these issues by myself over the past year. I know that I need professional help and I am now 100% committed to getting myself right.”

Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong said he talked to the mayor Tuesday after Doug Ford passed him his cellphone.

"I hope he's in rehab, he said he was in rehab - we should give him the benefit of the doubt," Minnan-Wong said.

"The mayor sounded good, he was talkative, he wanted to know what is going on at council ... I think he wanted to come back."

- With files from Maryam Shah

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