Authorities Release Infamous Video of Former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford Smoking Crack
Canadian officials released an infamous video of Toronto's late former mayor Rob Ford smoking crack to the public Thursday, three years after reports of its existence triggered a political scandal. The video, recorded in Feb. 2013 and about a minute long, shows Ford speaking while lighting and inhaling a crack pipe. Ford swears and mumbles about kids, minorities and his radical right-wing reputation. After first news reports of the video's existence, Ford vehemently denied smoking crack. As evidence mounted against him, Ford admitted to substance abuse and entered into a two-month rehab stint. The video was inaccessible by the public because it was entered as evidence in a court case against Alexander Lisi, Ford's former driver and friend, who faced an extortion charge for trying obtain the cellphone which contained the footage, the CBC reports. The charge against Lisi was dropped on Thursday, and in exchange, Lisi entered into a peace bond and promised not to contact the men he allegedly extorted. Ford died in March after a two-year battle with a rare abdominal cancer. ,