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If the Trudeau government ever thought that Vice Admiral Mark Norman was going to fade away quietly, they appear to have seriously misjudged.

Norman was in an Ottawa court Tuesday morning for his first appearance after being charged with one count of breach of trust. Norman was charged last month by the RCMP in relation to the alleged leak of information about a Liberal government plan to derail a project to provide the Royal Canadian Navy with a new supply ship.

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Norman says he has done nothing wrong.

But Prime Minister Justin Trudeau predicted twice over the last year that Norman would find himself in court. That has prompted allegations of political interference. The Prime Minister’s Office is said to be keeping close tabs on the Norman file.

PMO staff watching the news coverage of Norman’s first court appearance Tuesday would have got an eye-full. Norman didn’t slink into the court house through a side-door. The officer, who has been suspended from his job for more than a year, arrived at the front and walked up proudly in his naval uniform, displaying various medals and honours from a 30-year unblemished military career. (Since he is still a serving member of the Canadian Forces there is no issue about wearing his uniform.)