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“I think that it’s his account, at the end of the day, that will be the most credible account of what actually happened.”

Many of those interviewed, such as Manning, were reluctant to directly criticize the prime minister for his increasingly sharp public tone against Wright — who gave $90,000 of his own money to pay Sen. Mike Duffy’s housing expenses.

But Charles McMillan, who worked with Wright in then-prime minister Brian Mulroney’s PMO in the mid-1980s and has remained a good friend, spoke bluntly to Postmedia News.

“To put the blame of this whole saga on Nigel is nuts,” said McMillan.

“I think there is a larger story here with a whole series of players – in the Senate, the party, in the government, in the PMO. And to put all the blame on a single individual, to me, is outrageous and unfair.”

“Time will tell us whether it’s stupid politically. But I believe that time is against the blame game. It’s easier to point the finger at one person. In reality, that’s rarely what happens. It’s like an iceberg. There’s a larger story under the water.”

Since mid-May, Harper has said he did not know in advance of the Wright-Duffy payment. But his story has changed in key ways — most notably his description of Wright.

At first, Harper said he accepted Wright’s resignation “with regret.” The prime minister said he accepted “that Nigel believed he was acting in the public interest” and he complimented his outgoing aide for his “tremendous contribution to our government.”