Rob Ford’s mayoralty slipped deeper into chaos Monday as his top communications aides walked out and he replaced one with a political staffer sources say was fired from his 2010 mayoral campaign over a drug allegation.

George Christopoulos, Ford’s press secretary for the past 16 months, resigned along with special assistant for communications Isaac Ransom. Their departure caught the increasingly isolated Ford off guard, prompting him to pace around their emptied offices as news cameras rolled.

Sources said both men quit on principle because they felt they could not continue in good conscience after Ford’s Friday statement in which he said: “I do not use crack cocaine, nor am I an addict of crack cocaine. As for a video, I cannot comment on a video that I have never seen or does not exist.”

The Star could not reach Christopoulos or Ransom for comment.

Their departure capped more than a week of soul-searching in which the pair — along with ousted chief of staff Mark Towhey — considered resigning en masse due to controversy sparked by a homemade videotape viewed by reporters for the Star and U.S. website Gawker, the sources said.

The video shows Ford smoking what appears to be a crack pipe and making homophobic and racially charged statements.







Towhey and Ford have not commented on why he was fired but differing explanations have emerged. A source told the Star Towhey refused to retrieve football gear from Don Bosco Catholic Secondary School after the school board stripped Ford of his beloved coaching duties for statements about students there, sources told the Star.

The mayor’s staunch defender and policy mastermind had also been imploring Ford to seek help for his health, according to a source.

On Tuesday morning Toronto Mayor Rob Ford was questioned whether or not his staffers attempted to obtain a video that allegedly shows him smoking crack.

Ford’s former press secretary, Adrienne Batra, wrote in a weekend Toronto Sun column that the mayor’s Friday statement was “barely recognizable” compared to the one his staff wrote for him. Batra, citing unnamed sources, wrote: “Ford’s family basically wrote the statement, with only a sprinkling of staff input.”

The resignations appeared to take Ford by surprise. In full view of journalists Ford, trailed by a city hall security guard, paced around the mayor’s suite looking into the emptied offices, appearing agitated.

Speaking later to reporters, Ford insisted it is “business as usual” for his administration and appeared to suggest Christopoulos and Ransom left for exciting new opportunities.

“I wish them the best of luck in their future endeavours and I thank them for working hard in this office. . . We have our executive committee tomorrow and we’re just soldiering on,” Ford said.

The mayor also announced Amin Massoudi, Councillor Doug Ford’s executive assistant, is his communications director.

There was confusion about his title, however. A message from Ford’s official Twitter account later called Massoudi his “new press secretary.”

Three independent sources told the Star on Monday that Nick Kouvalis fired Massoudi from Ford’s 2010 mayoral campaign after the campaign heard that Toronto police, investigating an open car door, found marijuana inside and traced the car to Massoudi.

According to one source, Massoudi said the car had been broken into.

No charges were laid and the Star cannot verify the information. At press time Massoudi had not responded to the Star’s calls, emails and social media messages.

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Mere days after Massoudi was fired, Rob Ford hired him as a constituency assistant at his council office, infuriating Kouvalis, the sources said. Kouvalis, who now runs a political research firm, declined comment.

After the election Councillor Ford hired Massoudi, who according to his LinkedIn page graduated from Queen’s University in 2010 with a degree in politics and history, as his executive assistant.

Monday’s resignations significantly weaken a 14-person staff many councillors felt was too lean even before the crisis. Most of Ford’s remaining aides are young, and many have little policy or government experience.

Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday, asked Monday if the mayor is in trouble, replied: “I don’t know that.”

“I’m a little concerned about the operation in the mayor’s office,” said Holyday, who will meet with Ford and other executive committee members for a regular meeting Tuesday morning.

“Three people have left in less than a week. And I hope there’s no more.”

Commenting on the resignations, councillor Frank Di Giorgio said, “Those that were there in those particular positions I suspect felt pressured by all the demands placed upon them. For whatever reason, we had Mark Towhey being let go by the mayor, and the other two followed on their own volition.

“The mayor’s office I would say is somewhat more hobbled now than it was in the past because I said they were understaffed,” he added. “Now they’re more understaffed.”

All eyes are now on Ford’s new chief of staff, Earl Provost.

Ford’s two most recent hires are 21-year-old J.C. Hasko, a Don Bosco football assistant coach and fitness trainer, and Brendan Croskerry, a musician who has worked for a marketing firm.

Ford started his statement Monday by apologizing to journalists for calling them “maggots” on his Sunday afternoon Newstalk 1010 radio show.

I’m sure you understand that this has been a very stressful week for myself and my family but that doesn’t justify using the terminology I did to describe the media,” Ford said.