Pamela Wallin leaves Conservative caucus
Posted May 17, 2013 6:05 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Sen. Pamela Wallin is leaving the Conservative caucus, the second senator in as many days to do so amid a storm of allegations of dubious expense claims.
Wallin’s travel expenses — $321,000 since September 2010 — have been the subject of an external audit since December.
In a brief written statement, Wallin — a former CTV broadcaster — says she has been co-operating fully with the auditors and had expected the process to be complete by now.
Since it is ongoing, Wallin says she’s decided to recuse herself from the Conservative caucus.
The decision comes after fellow former broadcaster Sen. Mike Duffy stepped down from the Tory caucus Thursday amid controversy about his housing expenses — and where he got the money to pay them back.
The Prime Minister’s Office admitted earlier this week that Nigel Wright, Stephen Harper’s chief of staff, footed the $90,000 bill for Duffy.
