Proud to share the appointment of 9 new judges this week—6 in B.C. & 3 in Ontario—bringing the total of judicial appointments up to a record 146 so far in my term as Minister.
With 95%+ of all positions filled, we’ve increased access to high-quality justice for all Canadians.
PSAC
workers and their supporters picket outside the Canada Revenue Agency
office in Sudbury, Ont., on April 19, 2023. More than 155,000 federal
public servants will have to return to the office for three days a week,
starting Sept. 9. (Gino Donato/The Canadian Press)
A Federal Court
judge has ordered a full hearing be held in the Public Service Alliance
of Canada's challenge to the federal government's return-to-office
directive.
On Thursday, Justice Glennys L. McVeigh dismissed the
federal government's attempts to quash or halt the challenge, saying
both sides needed to argue the matter based on a full record.
In
May, the federal government issued a directive requiring its workers to
come into the office for a minimum of three days a week, or 60 per cent
of their regular weekly or monthly schedules. The directive comes into
force Sept. 9.
Within
a week of the May announcement, PSAC launched a policy grievance, two
complaints with the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and
Employment Board, and an application for a judicial review in Federal
Court.
The federal government tried to quash the court challenge,
or have it stayed until all the other challenges were resolved. In a
court filing last month, the government argued "courts should not
intervene in employment disputes before the processes provided for have
been exhausted."
But the Federal Court sided with the union in allowing the court case to proceed to a full hearing.
WATCH | Federal Court orders full hearing into challenge of government mandate:
Federal court orders hearing into public servants return-to-office mandate
A
Federal Court judge has ordered a full hearing be held in the Public
Service Alliance of Canada's challenge to the federal government's
return-to-office directive. Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council,
Christiane Fox, says the government wants to 'maximize teamwork.' Alex
Silas, National Executive Vice-President of the Public Service Alliance
of Canada responds.
"As the moving party
with the burden of proof, the Attorney General was responsible for
presenting a 'knockout punch' argument that addressed all of PSAC's
submissions," McVeigh wrote in her decision, adding the government had
not met said burden.
"Although I am choosing not to exercise my
discretion to strike the application at this stage, this decision should
not be interpreted as an endorsement of PSAC's arguments. I simply
conclude that the parties must argue this matter based on a full
record."
Still, the union is hailing the decision.
"I think
this is a very important win for workers' rights and the fight against
the government's arbitrary telework mandate," PSAC national president
Sharon DeSousa told CBC News, referring to the court decision.
"We
don't even know why they made this decision. We've heard words around
collaboration and office culture, but there's no data. There's no
information as to why they made the decision. So this is what this
hearing, eventually when we have our day in court, will allow us to
attain."
Sharon
DeSousa, national president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada,
attends a demonstration in front of the Ottawa office of the Treasury
Board president last April. (Francis Ferland/CBC)
'It makes no sense'
DeSousa said the union ultimately wants remote work arrangements to be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Complicating
the return-to-work directive, she said, is that some PSAC members were
offered, and accepted, government jobs that aren't located near where
they lived.
PSAC lacks data on how many of its members are in such a situation, deferring to the government for those hiring numbers.
Meanwhile, the court referred the lawsuit to a case manager to help both sides set timelines for the hearing.
But
with no date set as of yet for a case management meeting, any hearing
likely won't be held before the Sept. 9 deadline. DeSousa said PSAC is
advising its members to follow "any direction given" by the government
on working in the office, or risk potential discipline.
The
union launched a petition on Wednesday calling on the government to
repeal the directive and proceed on a case-by-case basis. The petition
had amassed nearly 26,000 signatures by Friday afternoon, the union
said.
"Right now, what we have are workers who've been hired
during the pandemic to work remotely, where they report to an office
halfway across the country. And they're being told to drive in to work,
or they're going to have to commute hours upon hours," DeSousa said.
"It makes no sense."
WATCH | Unions vow to grieve government's return-to-office mandate:
Federal public sector unions angry over work-from-office order
Unions
representing federal workers are promising 'a summer of discontent.'
They are angry over a new government directive requiring federal
employees to return to the office at least three days a week.
Some argue office presence improves performance
Appearing
on CBC's Power & Politics on Friday, Christiane Fox, the deputy
clerk of the Privy Council Office, said many federal public servants are
already back in the office five days a week — pointing to
federally-employed nurses in Indigenous communities and prison guards.
Asked
what sort of consequences workers who don't abide by the directive
starting Sept. 9 would face, Fox said she believes the majority of
public servants would adhere to the directive.
"I think people want to comply with what their employer is asking them to do," she said.
"They
want to serve Canadians. And so, in the instances where we may not have
compliance, yes of course people have to adhere to the organizations
and the directions of the Treasury Board, and our expectation is they
will do so.
"And if they don't, then we will take the appropriate steps to deal with that from a management-to-employer perspective."
Christiane
Fox, deputy clerk of the Privy Council Office, says being physically
present in the office can help public servants do their jobs better. (Maxim Saavedra-Ducharme/Radio-Canada)
Fox
also reiterated that employees being physically
present improved collaboration on complex files, noting this was one of
the drivers to have employees return to the office.
"I played
basketball at Carleton University. I could shoot a basketball in my
driveway everyday and become a better shooter," Fox said, who also
played soccer for the Carleton Ravens.
"But if I don't practice
with my team, we aren't going to be able to win. And I think there's a
parallel to the workplace. There are some things that we need to do
together."
Nick
Murray is a CBC News reporter with the Parliamentary Bureau in Ottawa,
after nearly a decade based in Iqaluit. He specializes in investigative
reporting and access to information legislation. A graduate from St.
Thomas University's journalism program, he's also covered four Olympic
Games as a senior writer with CBC Sports.
Watch: Tucker Carlson on what is wrong with US media
Tucker
Carlson has broken his silence after his departure from Fox News in a
video lashing out at "liars trying to silence" honest people.
The
short video was posted on Twitter two days after his exit. He did not
share the reason for his departure or speak about his future plans.
Fox News has said it and Carlson had agreed to "part ways".
His exit came days after Fox settled a defamation lawsuit over its reporting of the 2020 presidential election.
Carlson made his first public comments since he left Fox News in a two-minute clip posted to Twitter
on Wednesday, saying he was addressing "things you notice when you take
a little time off", including "how unbelievably stupid most of the
debates you see on television are".
But "when honest people say what's true, calmly and without embarrassment, they become powerful," he adds.
"At the same time, the liars who have been trying to silence them shrink, and they become weaker."
He ends with "where can you still find Americans saying true things? There aren't many places left, but there are some".
The
53-year-old Carlson was not just a popular presenter on Fox News but
also a hugely influential one, with an average of three million
Americans tuning in to his programme every night.
Within two hours of being posted, his Twitter message had received over five million views.
The
sudden announcement of Carlson's departure came shortly after Fox News
paid $787m (£631m) to settle a defamation suit brought by voting machine
company Dominion.
In
the suit, Dominion argued its business was harmed by Fox spreading
false claims that its machines were rigged against former President
Donald Trump.The case prompted disclosures of text messages that
publicly aired Carlson's private views about Mr Trump and his colleagues
at Fox.
The
Wall Street Journal - owned by News Corp, which also owns Fox News -
reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed sources, that a decision to
dismiss Carlson was made in part due to messages in which he used vulgar
language about colleagues and Fox management.
His exit came as another prominent US cable TV host was also ousted. CNN's Don Lemon, announced on Monday that he had been "terminated" after 17 years at the network.
Both
Lemon and Carlson have reportedly hired top Hollywood lawyer Bryan
Freedman, who also represented former CNN host Chris Cuomo and ex-NBC
and Fox host Megyn Kelly.
WARNING-GRAPHIC
FOOTAGE: Fox News host Tucker Carlson fires back at critics who are
outraged over his airing previously hidden footage of the January 6
Capitol breach on 'Tucker Carlson Tonight.
Fox News host Tucker Carlson gives his take on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s censorship for his views on COVID and the Ukraine war on 'Tucker Carlson Tonight.'
How Tucker Carlson rode a wave of populist outrage
Kayla Epstein & Madeline Halpert
BBC News, New York
Getty Images/BBC
Last
Wednesday night, Tucker Carlson opened his Fox News show in typical
fashion. "Sometimes you wonder how filthy and dishonest our news media
are," he mused.
"The question is, who is telling the truth? There are not many of those."
For
the last six years, Carlson has used his perch to convince a
conservative-leaning swathe of the American public that he is one of
those few voices of truth - even as he aired segments that critics say
featured misinformation and racism.
The
approach was incredibly effective. Carlson was one of the highest-rated
hosts in network news, consistently attracting about three million
viewers, establishing himself as a powerful figure in the conservative
movement.
But despite that success, just days after he questioned the honesty of the news media, he would be forced out of primetime.
On Monday, Fox News abruptly announced the network and its biggest star had, in its words, agreed to "part ways".
Neither
party has yet provided details of the departure. But Carlson's exit
comes days after Fox News paid an extraordinary $787m (£633m) settlement
to Dominion Voting Systems over false election claims.
The
lawsuit revealed, among other things, that Carlson derided Donald
Trump's election fraud claims in private messages while backing them
publicly on the air. At one point, he texted that he hated the former
president "passionately".
Now, the future of one of America's loudest conservative voices remains uncertain.
A steady rise and a sudden fall
Carlson
got his start in the media world of the 1990s, writing for several
prominent publications. He worked as a commentator for CNN in the early
2000s before joining MSNBC to host a nightly programme.
He
moved over to Fox News in 2009 to work as a political analyst,
eventually launching his own show, Tucker Carlson Tonight, in 2016. The
debut episode attracted about 3.7 million viewers.
Around that same time, two seismic events swept through the conservative world that propelled Carlson to the media stratosphere.
The
first came in 2017, when Fox News fired its biggest star at the time,
Bill O'Reilly, leaving an opening for the next network star. The New
York Times had reported millions in payouts made to women who had
accused O'Reilly of sexual misconduct - allegations he said had no
merit.
The second was Mr Trump.
Carlson's
stature ballooned during the Trump era, as he often used his new
primetime slot to defend the president, riding a wave of populist
outrage that fuelled his election victory.
Getty ImagesEx-president Donald Trump, Tucker Carlson and Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene last summer
"The
main message is a populist one," Yotam Ophir, who studies
disinformation at the State University of New York at Buffalo,
explained. "'They', whoever they are, are coming to get you... that the
country you love is changing before our eyes. And only we at Fox are
willing to say the truth and fight for people's values."
Since
launching Tucker Carlson Tonight, "they" have included immigrants,
political correctness, the Black Lives Matter movement, Democrats,
Hollywood, an amorphous elite class, and LGBT people, to name just a
few.
The
populist message was potent. Republican politicians were eager to
appear on his show, seeing it as a direct conduit to their political
base.
His
show generated $77.5m in advertising revenue last year, figures from
agency Vivvix showed, with Carlson's hour attracting 45% more
advertising dollars than the next biggest show in primetime.
After news of his departure broke, Republican lawmakers and right-wing pundits praised Carlson.
Donald
Trump Jr., the former president's son, said Carlson was "one of the few
voices in the Republican Party that would call out the nonsense from
GOP senators, governors, and otherwise".
Accusations of racism and misogyny
While
lauded on the right, Mr Carlson and his show frequently drew
condemnation from misinformation experts, fact-checkers and activists.
He was accused of elevating racist and nativist talking points and promoting conspiracy theories.
Experts on hate speech and extremism have accused him of endorsing white supremacist ideologies.
In 2020, Carlson called it "soulless" and "craven" to support the Black Lives Matter movement. He claimed it was "definitely not about black lives".
Carlson faced condemnation outside of his show, as well.
In recordings from 2006-11 obtained by a watchdog that monitors conservative media, Carlson called women "extremely primitive",
defended child marriage and made sexual comments about underage girls.
Carlson responded by inviting "anyone who disagrees" with his comments
to appear on his show.
In another instance, audio captured him calling Iraq a "crappy place filled with... semiliterate primitive monkeys".
In
2019, Carlson criticised Ilhan Omar, the Somali-born Muslim Democratic
congresswoman, saying on his show she was "living proof that the way we
practice immigration has become dangerous to this country".
Carlson
also faced accusations of spreading misinformation around Covid-19
vaccine requirements, and entertaining election-denying conspiracy
theories - even though, as the Dominion lawsuit revealed, he privately
denounced Trump's claims to have won the 2020 election.
"Not
everything he says is misinformative, but it all creates this aura of
disregard for truth," said Kristy Roschke, a media literacy expert at
Arizona State University.
"Those things have had a tremendous impact on our media environment and therefore on the viewer."
An unexpected exit
His
controversial statements did not go unnoticed - and occasionally caused
blowback for the network - such as in 2018 when he said immigrants made
America "poorer and dirtier", leading several large companies to pull
their advertisements. But for the most part, the network left him to his
own devices.
Which makes his sudden, unexplained departure from Fox News all the more shocking.
Getty ImagesCarlson - seen here on a billboard at Fox News HQ - was at the heart of its primetime schedule
BBC
News contacted a lawyer said to be representing Carlson, but did not
receive a reply. Carlson himself has remained silent thus far.
High
profile conservatives expressed their support. Commentator Matt Walsh
said the move was "disastrous" for Fox News, and called Carlson "by far
the most important and relevant figure at the network".
Carlson's next move remains unclear.
Like
his predecessors O'Reilly and the bombastic former opinion host Glenn
Beck, who was prominent during the Obama era, he may try to pivot into
his own media brand.
Both
Beck and O'Reilly - who have launched news podcasts alongside other
ventures - have struggled to command the same level of influence.
Nonetheless,
Carlson's supporters are optimistic. "Wherever Tucker Carlson goes,"
Republican congresswoman Lauren Boebert tweeted, "America will follow!"
Without the powerful engine of Fox News behind him, it is unclear whether Carlson will continue to hold sway.
"It
is a watershed moment," said Mr Ophir. "His departure from Fox is a big
moment for the balance of our information system at large."
New
text evidence is putting heat on Fox News’ billion-dollar scandal. Fox
host Tucker Carlson admitting he hates Donald Trump “passionately,” and
conceding that Fox anchors have been “pretending” to believe Trump’s
election lies that they pushed anyway. MSNBC Chief Legal Correspondent
Ari Melber reports on the evidence, calling it “some of the most
overwhelming evidence ever assembled in first amendment law,” adding
Carlson’s private view on Trump is a reminder of the “dangerous and
lying alliance” that props up Trump, and contrasts what he tells
millions every night. (This is an excerpt of the full discussion that
aired on MSNBC). Check out the video playlist for "The Beat with Ari
Melber": www.msnbc.com/ari
Fox News and Tucker Carlson, who hosted the network's highly rated 8pm hour, have severed ties, the network said in a stunning announcement one week after Fox News settled a monster defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million over the network's dissemination of election lies.
Today i'm joined by TUCKER CARLSON for a WORLD EXCLUSIVE first interview since leaving Fox News. NOTHING is off limits! Join them as they discuss world leaders, Ukraine, alternative media, Fox News and more!
Political commentator Tucker Carlson took the stage at Day 4 of the Republican National Convention on Thursday. Carlson, the founder of Tucker Carlson Network, praised former President Trump, who's been seen wearing a bandage on his right ear following an assassination attempt during a weekend rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump's running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, made his first speech to the RNC as a vice presidential candidate on Wednesday night. This comes ahead of a speech by Trump on Thursday when he's slated to accept the GOP presidential nomination.
EXCLUSIVE: An ax to grind! Tucker Carlson is seen rebuilding his
barn-turned-satellite studio after Fox News dismantled his remote set
near Maine summer home - as loyalists quit the network to join his new
secret venture
Exclusive
DailyMail.com photos show Tucker Carlson hard at work at his satellite
studio in Woodstock, Maine, as he prepares to launch his new media
venture following his unexpected departure from Fox
The
ousted host would have started broadcasting his nightly Fox talk show
from the remote set for the summer by now, but instead is rebuilding
the studio after it was dismantled by the network
'Fox
came in last week and got all their sh*t out of there,' construction
manager Patrick Feeney told DailyMail.com. 'They took the set and
everything, all the equipment, the chairs, the desk, the fake walls'
Workers from Fox News swooped in and dismantled Tucker Carlson's Maine recording studio just as he was preparing to take his show to Twitter, DailyMail.com has learned exclusively.
And
the studio – in a converted barn – will now have to be completely
rebuilt after being left in shambles by the network's crew.
'Fox came in last week and got all their sh*t out of there,' Patrick Feeney, who is managing the work, told DailyMail.com.
'They took the set and everything, all the equipment, the chairs, the desk, the fake walls, everything.'
Now
the conservative firebrand is helping work alongside a three-man
construction crew at the studio in downtown Woodstock, DailyMail.com's
exclusive photos show.
Ousted Fox News host Tucker
Carlson was seen unloading equipment and materials out of his SUV as he
carried out construction work at his now defunct satellite studio in
Woodstock, Maine last week
Carlson,
who was axed by Fox last month, has returned to his summer hometown
where he would usually film his long-running nightly talk show remotely
for the season, to repair and rebuild his studio after it was dismantled
by the network
Sources tell DailyMail.com the
political pundit is trying to get his studio back up and running as he
prepares to launch his new venture
Carlson, 54, spends his
summers in the rural town, 55 miles west of the state capital Augusta,
where Fox had built a set in an old barn so he could broadcast the show
remotely. He was due to start filming from the satellite studio within a
few weeks when he was suddenly fired by the network on April 24.
Tucker
has since given his own crew a new job, to get the studio back up and
running. But the removal of the original set meant they had to repair
the infrastructure.
'There's no hardware in place at all,' Feeney said. 'There's not even an infrastructure for a TV studio for a long time.'
Feeney
told DailyMail.com that his boss, who spends much of the year in
Florida, had only recently returned to Woodstock, where he owns a house
on a lake on the outskirts of town.
'He
just got back late last night after meeting with lawyers and all that
stuff,' he said. 'As you can imagine, he's very, very busy right now.'
The polarizing host was booted from his top-rated show Tucker Carlson Tonight in late April.
The
company gave no official reason why they let their most-watched anchor
go, but the decision came just six days after Fox settled with Dominion
Voting Systems paying the company $787.5 million in a defamation
lawsuit.
One of Tucker's daughters was seen visiting her father at his studio to drop off packages, one of them being an ax
The political pundit was seen
handling an ax and other equipment as he and a three-person construction
crew got to work on the studio last week
Carlson was due to start filming
at the satellite studio (pictured) for the season when he was abruptly
fired on April 24. The network recently traveled to Woodstock to remove
the set and the equipment, his local construction manager told
DailyMail.com
The conservative firebrand was dressed for a day of work, sporting a checkered flannel, utility vest, pants, and flat bed clogs
One of his daughters was seen helping her father unload items from his SUV, including a brand new ax delivery
Soon
after, some of the pre-trial discovery materials leaked, including a
slew of incendiary text messages Carlson sent the day after the January 6
storming of the Capitol when he recalled seeing a mob of three white
men attacking an 'Antifa kid' and said he initially wanted the victim to be killed.
Out of a job while still due to receive a hefty Fox salary through 2025, Carlson didn't wait long to make his next move.
On May 10, he announced he is launching a new version of his show.
He posted a three-minute video on his Twitter page captioned 'We're
back,' slamming the mainstream media while telling his followers:
'Starting soon we'll be bringing a new version of the show we've been
doing for the last six and a half years to Twitter.'
Variety
reported last week that several Fox anchors have reached out to Carlson
expressing their desire to join him when their contracts expire.
The
publication also wrote that he is poised to launch the show within a
month, with his former senior executive producer Justin Wells – who was
fired at the same time as Carlson – on board.
Later in the day Tucker's wife Susan also swung by the studio for a quick visit to drop off some more packages
There was a lot of work being
done to the space throughout the day, with at least three workers coming
in and out between sawing wood and working on other various projects
The removal of the original set
meant the construction crew has to repair the infrastructure of the
studio to get it back up and running
An
insider told DailyMail.com that several Fox employees have already quit
to join the startup. But according to Carlson's own construction
manager, the new show won't happen within a month, at least if they're
relying on Woodstock to be the hub.
And as far as he knows, details of any new venture are still being worked out and there is no date yet for launch.
'We
just came to clean it up and get it looking like something again,'
Feeney said. 'There's no imminent venture. We're just getting ready in
case something does happen.
'There's nothing we're doing other than cleaning the place up, shoring up the walls, making it look good again.'
A
three-man construction crew could be seen last Thursday in the garage
sawing wood, extending electrical wires and repeatedly entering the
once-and-future studio, while banging away with hammers.
Carlson spent much of his day inside working the phones, dealing with fallout from Fox and plotting his new endeavor.
At one point, he emerged to greet his wife Susan, who drove up to the building in an SUV hauling crates.
Carlson,
54, was dressed down in a brown vest with the sleeves to his red Oxford
shirt rolled up, grabbed an axe and drill from the trunk, along with
several boxes.
Carlson spent much of his day inside working the phones, dealing with fallout from Fox and plotting his new endeavor
The refurbishing of the set comes as Tucker prepares to launch his own, new media venture following his departure from Fox
A three-man construction crew
could be seen Thursday in the garage sawing wood, extending electrical
wires and repeatedly entering the former and future studio, while
banging away with hammers
He sorted through the items, bringing some into the building and discarding others in a nearby dumpster.
The
cable commentator spends summers in the small town near the Sunday
River ski resort with his wife. The couple has four children, including
son Buckley who is due to get married this month.
Carlson
was busy preparing for the wedding as he dealt with work. He also
fitted in a fishing trip. He declined an interview request.
Before
the Twitter announcement, Carlson's attorney Bryan Freedman sent an
aggressive letter to Fox arguing that the $25million noncompete
provision in his contract is no longer valid, which would in turn allow
him to launch a competing show, or media entity.
'We
bring some other things too, which we'll tell you about,' Carlson
stated on the video. 'But for now we're just grateful to be here. Free
speech is the main right that you have. Without it, you have no others.'
Afterwards,
Elon Musk – who purchased the platform last October – clarified that he
had not signed a deal with Carlson, and like other creators on the
platform, the political host would generate his own revenue from
advertising.
For all of 2022, Carlson averaged
3.03 million viewers, second only to Fox's 'The Five' as the most
popular program on cable television
The Fox News star was due to start filming locally in his studio in just a couple weeks when he was fired on April 24
Both Susan and their four kids have tried to stay out of the limelight over the years, and none of them use social media
'I
also want to be clear that we have not signed a deal of any kind
whatsoever. Tucker is subject to the same rules & rewards of all
content creators,' Musk tweeted.
It has also been revealed that Carlson had a conversation with Musk about working together.
The
billionaire Tesla and SpaceX chief executive added that he would like
to see others, especially those who lean left, follow Carlson's lead.
The
Twitter show would seem to violate Carlson's contract with Fox, but his
attorneys' claim in their letter that Fox breached the contract first.
Carlson's
contract technically runs through January 2025, and Fox reportedly
wants to keep paying him until then, which would prevent him from
starting a rival show.
Freedman's
letter indicates that Fox employees, including 'Rupert Murdoch himself,'
broke promises made to Carlson 'intentionally and with reckless
disregard for the truth.'
Specifically,
the letter alleged that Fox broke an agreement with Carlson not to leak
his private communications to the media and not to use Carlson's
private messages 'to take any adverse employment action against him.'
EXCLUSIVE: 'Fox News is going to regret the decision.' Tucker
Carlson's shocked neighbors in his quaint Maine town rally round the
firebrand known locally as a 'modest, pickup truck-driving good guy' who
likes to fish and chop wood
Tucker
Carlson's friends and neighbors in Woodstock, Maine were some of the
first to speak to him shortly after he was abruptly fired by Fox News
Monday
Speaking to DailyMail.com,
carpenter Patrick Fenney, who helped build his satellite studio in
town, said a 'pretty shocked' Carlson called him from Florida
Locals
know the TV host as a 'down-to-earth, hardworking, friendly guy' who
fits right in the community where residents don't pay much attention to
the news
Just hours after he was fired by Fox News, conservative firebrand Tucker Carlson's phone lit up with well-wishes from locals in the quaint Maine town where he spends most of his summers.
The
53-year-old has stirred up vitriol as one of the most polarizing
political commentators in the country, but in the small rural town of
Woodstock, residents never felt that antagonism in person from the man
they describe as a good neighbor.
'More
time for fishing?' his carpenter Patrick Fenney said in a text message
to Carlson at lunchtime Monday, shortly after the news broke.
An hour later, Tucker, at home with his wife in Florida, phoned him back.
On screen, Tucker Carlson is
known as a polarizing political pundit on Fox News, but to the residents
of Woodstock, Maine, where he owns a summer home and sometimes filmed
his show remotely, he is a 'modest, down-to-earth guy'
The ousted firebrand spends his
summers in the rural town, where he even converted an old barn into a
studio (pictured) with the help of a local carpenter
Carlson has been coming to
Western Maine with family since he was a child and owns a home in Bryant
Pond, Woodstock's urban center with just 1,350 residents
'He called me back at 1 and
said he found out about it a half hour before I did,' Fenney told
DailyMail.com Tuesday, standing inside Carlson's satellite TV studio
that the local helped him build in an old barn downtown.'He
told me it started out as a normal day. He got up, wrote the show, and
then he got the phone calling saying it was all over and that they were
going to announce it.'
'He was pretty shocked,' he added. 'He asked them why and they wouldn't give him a reason.'
Speaking from Carlson's
converted-barn satellite studio, local carpenter Patrick Fenney told
DailyMail.com the host called him after he was axed
But Carlson seemed nonplussed.
'He was not upset at all,' Fenney told DailyMail.com. 'He said that maybe he'd fish a little more this summer.'
It
was the sort of humble banter Carlson is known for locally, where he's
seen as one of the friendliest, down to earth guys you'd ever meet.
The day began with business as usual.
That
morning, a couple Fox production workers were setting up cameras and
lighting for Carlson's show, which was due to start filming locally in
just a couple weeks when the most popular cable news host was planning
to return to Woodstock.
Crew members
were caught off guard by the firing as well and went driving away around
noon, with no clear direction of what might come next, Fenney said.
Carlson,
who has been coming to Western Maine with family since he was a child,
owns a home in Bryant Pond, Woodstock's urban center with just 1,350
residents.
In 2019, he wrote the town a letter stating his desire to retire there someday.
Carlson, a known avid fisher,
drew attention over his modest, friendly encounter with a blogger who
shared a video of the political pundit fishing in Central Park in 2013
Just like his friends and
neighbors in Woodstock, the man behind the camera said he found the TV
star surprisingly 'really, really nice'
He even has a plot at the local cemetery beside a 19th century universalist church, according to the regional Sun Journal.
He's
a regular around town during the summer, working out of his studio on
Main Street, taking breaks to chat with neighbors and sometimes greet
fans who travel from out of state to meet their TV hero.
He
could also be seen doing yardwork, chopping wood or painting shingles
on his stately house, located on a small island on Lake Christopher that
is just a few hundred feet from the shore.
Fenney has the keys to Carlson's motorboat that he takes to the house, which is still boarded up from the winter.
Locals say Carlson fits right in to the hardworking community, where residents don't pay much attention to the news.
'You
could walk down the road and knock on the next five doors and people
wouldn't be able to tell you who the vice president is,' Fenney told
DailyMail.com.
'They got other things
to worry about. They don't care. What they care about is if you don't
get your firewood and split it, you'll freeze to death.'
He described Carlson as 'a very modest, not a fancy person.'
Susan Hatstat, 37, who works at a convenience store where Carlson frequently stops by, agreed.
The Fox News star was due to start filming locally in his studio in just a couple weeks when he was fired
Carlson is a regular around town
during the summer, working out of his studio on Main Street, taking
breaks to chat with neighbors
In 2019, he wrote the town a letter stating his desire to retire there someday
'We always see him driving around in his old pickup truck,' Hatstat told DailyMail.com.
'He's actually just a really good guy, always super polite,' she said.
'He's
normal when he's here, nice to everybody. He doesn't act like a
celebrity. He comes here, grabs snacks, gets treats for his dogs.
'I like him, and his family's really nice,' she added.
Across the small town, Carlson could also be seen doing yardwork, chopping wood or painting shingles on his stately house
'His brother Buckley's always here, and his nephew. Tucker's been coming up here his whole life.'
He's also hired several locals for his show.
Hatstat's
brother, a chef who works at the nearby Sunday River ski mountain,
cooks for Carlson and 'all his celebrity friends,' she revealed, adding:
'And my brother's wife does Tucker's hair and makeup.'
Neil
Olsen, a 75-year-old animal trapper in the area, said over time he has
become close with Carlson, who's joined him on some of his excursions
trapping foxes and coyotes.
'He is one of the most down to earth people I've ever met who was so-called famous,' Olsen told DailyMail.com.
'I'm
a layman, let's just say. I'm a nobody, and I'm out there doing some
fishing and trapping, and Tucker's spending time with me,' Olsen said.
'And
I could just tell, he just wants to be a down to earth person. I
haven't met anyone who's been around this guy that didn't like him.'
Earlier this week, Carlson looked
unfazed as he left his secluded Gulf Coast home and headed out for date
night with his wife Susan, smiling broadly, and dressed in a smart,
blue button-down shirt and khaki pants
zoomed off in a golf cart without
elaborating on reports that he was 'blindsided' by Monday's shock
announcement that he was 'parting ways' with Fox - despite being the
network's biggest prime-time star
Both Susan (seen with Tucker) and
their four kids have tried to stay out of the limelight over the years,
and none of them use social media
They tied the knot in 1991 and went on to welcome four kids together named Lillie, Buckley, Hopie, and Dorothy
Last year, he said, Carlson joined him for a three-hour drive to sell furs to a dealer in Greenville, Maine.
While there, the Fox host ended up ordering a beaver blanket for his wife, Olsen said.
'I just remember what the guy there said to Tucker: ''How did you happen to come with him up here?'' Olsen recalled.
'And Tucker responded, ''because he asked me.''
'We've been on three trips together, and I'm a bit of a goofball at times, and he allows me to be me,' he continued.
'You go around some people and they're stuffed shirts, if you know what I'm saying. Tucker isn't what people think he is.'
He
recalls one conversation they had about religion, which started with
Olsen remarking about how all fishing lures boast they're the best on
the market. Olsen likened it to religion.
'So
I said to Tucker, there are like eight different religions, and
everybody thinks theirs is the best, so seven of them have got to be
wrong,' he recounted.
'And his quote to
me was something I'm going to live by the rest of my life: He said,
Neil, for me, in all religions, we all know that there's something
special out there, and for him it's God. I just thought that was a great
answer.'
For all of 2022, Carlson averaged
3.03 million viewers, second only to Fox's 'The Five' as the most
popular program on cable television
Despite the claims by a former
booking producer that she was subjected to bullying, sexism and
anti-Semitism on Carlson's show, his Fox News colleagues found him to be
a great guy, sources told DailyMail.com
Tucker
(pictured on his last show on Friday, left), was fired from Fox News on
Monday after being on the network for 14 years. Carlson (pictured in
2003, right) was said to be 'blindsided' by the news of his firing
Carlson
also invited Olsen to watch his show, giving him and his daughters an
exclusive audience from inside the studio, which was originally a barn.
'One of my daughters really, let's just say, wasn't a Tucker fan,' the trapper said.
'When
she left there, he didn't necessarily win her over with all the
political aspects, but she left there knowing, hey, he's actually a nice
guy.'
Olsen said he sent Carlson a text message the morning of his firing, writing: 'Just know that we really like you, Tucker.'
Speaking to DailyMail.com, Olsen said: 'I think they're going to regret the decision.'
But like others in town, he took the news in stride, and had no real concerns for Carlson's future.
'He
gives me the impression that he'd just rather be a down to earth guy
that blends in, goes fishing, rabbit hunting, without anybody knowing
really who he is,' Olsen said.
'And now, I assume he might, this is just a guess, take the summer off.'
Fenney said the only real question now is what Carlson will choose to do next.
'I can't imagine he's going to be hurting for things to do,' he said.
'He's a tough man, he'll survive it. He the hardest working man I know.'
And it turns out Tucker was as popular among (most of) his peers as he was his Woodstock neighbors.
Fox News only managed to pull in
1.33 million viewers for hastily arranged substitute host Brian Kilmeade
for who presented on Carlson's old 8pm slot on Wednesday night
The massive drop in viewing
figures comes after Carlson's departure from Fox News whose show had
consistently dominated the time period and was most viewed show in cable
news
Despite the claims by former booking producer Abby Grossberg
that she was subjected to bullying, sexism and anti-Semitism while
working on his show, his Fox News colleagues found him to be a great guy
– and would follow him anywhere.
In
fact, said one current staffer, working on the show that is now
temporarily being hosted by Brian Kilmeade, 'We would rather work for
Tucker somewhere else than stay here.
'Tucker called everyone he worked with after he got the news. Our collective mouths fell to the floor.
'He
was great to us – always included us at dinners with celebs he
interviewed on the show - like Kanye and Mike Tyson - had us to his
home. It's cliché but we were like family.'
According to the insider, Fox is now planning to rotate schedules and most probably hosts to fill the spot vacated by Tucker.
Ratings have crashed since
Tucker's last appearance on Friday night, with the network falling
below MSNBC's Chris Hayes' show in the 8pm timeslot Wednesday.
For
all of 2022, Carlson averaged 3.03 million viewers, second only to
Fox's 'The Five' as the most popular program on cable television.
Kilmeade
had 1.7 million viewers on Tuesday and 2.59 million on Monday, when he
told people who hadn't already heard the news that Carlson would no
longer be appearing on the network.
Carlson had 2.65 million viewers on Friday for what he didn't know at the time would be his last show on Fox.
Meanwhile,
the ousted host's two-minute monologue he shared on Twitter Thursday
night, has been viewed 70 million times, according to the social media
site.
Fox News host Tucker Carlson's Maine studio almost ready
by STEVE COLLINS, SUN JOURNAL
Tue, May 19th 2020 at 9:58 AM
FILE
- In this March 2, 2017 file photo, Tucker Carlson, host of "Tucker
Carlson Tonight," poses for photos in a Fox News Channel studio, in New
York. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File
WOODSTOCK
(SUN JOURNAL) -- Tucker Carlson’s Maine studio, which is located down
the road from his vacation home in an old garage in Woodstock, is almost
ready for airtime.
Documents
submitted to the town, which sold him the property behind the abandoned
Franklin Grange Hall on Route 26, indicate that Carlson intended to
spend about $88,000 of his money to upgrade the decaying garage to house
a small studio, a kitchenette, some space to pursue unstated hobbies,
storage and a bathroom.
Carlson, who could not be reached for
comment, has shown a keen interest in regional issues in Maine over the
years, from complaints about Somali immigrants in Lewiston to the recent
controversy of Rick Savage reopening his Sunday River Brewing Co.
restaurant in nearby Bethel in defiance of state rules to prevent the
spread of the coronavirus.
The
television host’s plans for a studio nearly came to an immediate halt
after the Sun Journal disclosed in March 2019 that Carlson planned to
purchase the old garage, which originally served as a stable for patrons
of the Grange hall.
Because of the publicity, Carlson told the newspaper that “I can’t have my building now. I’m kind of crushed.”
He
blamed the paper for undermining his project, insisting that his effort
to buy the property wasn’t news. “All it does is hurt me” to have
people find out about the studio’s presence, Carlson said at the time.
Carlson
has, however, mentioned on the air that he was broadcasting from rented
space in the town library, which is next door to the garage he bought.
His property will tie into the library’s septic system.
Despite
his insistence that the news story wrecked his chance of having a studio
close to his beloved vacation spot, Carlson wound up buying the garage
anyway after voters in Woodstock approved the sale in November.
Carlson mentioned that Fox executives were happy with the temporary studio in the library.
“The
ratings for the shows we’ve done from Maine have been high,” he said,
adding that within the network the library was famous as its
“northernmost bureau.”
“Best of all,” Carlson said, “I’ve been
able to spend four months a year in Bryant Pond, which is my favorite
place in the world.”
Tucker’s neighbor from rural Maine joins him in his barn to discuss doomsday prepping, country life, and what rural folk really think about Kamala Harris.
Watch Tucker and Patrick Feeney test Elon Musk's Cybertruck
42 Lovejoy Mountain Rd, Albany Twp, ME ; Po Box 81, Bethel, ME ; Rr 36
19 charged in drug sweep targeting motorcycle club
Associated Press
PORTLAND, Maine — A drug
sweep targeting one of Maine's largest motorcycle clubs, the Iron
Horsemen, has yielded 16 arrests, most of them in York County. Records
unsealed late last week in federal court indicate 19 people were
indicted on one count each of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and
marijuana. Some face other charges as well.
A wiretapping operation
captured 40 telephone calls between July and September last year,
implicating the defendants. The yearlong investigation began at the
county level and expanded to include the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency
and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, York county
Sheriff Maurice Ouellette said. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Perry,
the lead prosecutor in the case, said Monday he is barred from
discussing details of the investigation.
Portland police weren't
involved in the investigation, but the department tracks motorcycle
clubs. Portland Police Sgt. Bob Martin says the biker gangs have been
"flying under the radar."
The defendants are members or supporters of
the Iron Horsemen Motorcycle Club, Ouellette said, and most of them live
in Old Orchard Beach, Limerick and nearby towns. Three people still at
large are Richard Szpyt of Haverhill, Mass., Michael Balot of South
Portland and Robert Boothby of Monson.
A home owned by Szpyt in Old
Orchard Beach was used as a meeting spot for the Iron Horsemen.
Prosecutors want that property turned over to the federal government.
Keith Babin, the town's deputy police chief, said his department was
aware that the property was being used as an Iron Horsemen clubhouse.
But there have been no police problems there, he said. The club has
worked with police, providing contact information and giving the
department a heads-up prior to gatherings, Babin said.
The latest event,
a New Year's Eve party for Iron Horsemen members from several states,
went off without complaints, he said. Five of the 16 defendants who have
been arrested remain in federal custody: Robert Sanborn of Old Orchard
Beach, James Weston of Old Orchard Beach, Sherwood Jordan of Albany,
Daniel Guarino of Old Orchard Beach, and Charles Green of East Dixfield.
Ten others were released after posting bond and one was freed on his
own recognizance.
May 14, 2009 — and Sherwood Jordan, 56, of Albany Township were found guilty on charges of conspiracy to distribute marijuana and cocaine. Szpyt and Jordan .
PORTLAND,
Maine (AP) — The drug trafficking trial of an ex-president of the Maine
chapter of the Iron Horsemen Motorcycle Club and two of his associates
is under way in U.S. District Court in Portland.
A federal
prosecutor told jurors Tuesday that drug ledgers, wiretapped phone calls
and testimony from witnesses will be enough to convict Richard Szypt,
Roman Dellosantos and Sherwood Jordan. Szypt, of Haverhill, Mass.,
served as president from 2005 until last spring, when the indictments
were handed up.
In their opening statements, defense lawyers said
the government won't be able to establish their clients' involvement in
an alleged conspiracy to funnel large amounts of cocaine and marijuana
between Massachusetts and Maine.
The Portland Press Herald said the trial could last two weeks.
___
Information from: Portland Press Herald, http://www.pressherald.com
Members of Iron Horsemen Motorcycle Club convicted on drug charges in Maine
ELLEN W. TODD
Sanford News Writer | Fosters Daily Democrat
ALFRED
— York County Sheriff Maurice Ouellette said Monday morning the
conviction in U.S. District Court in Portland last week of members of
the Maine Chapter of the Iron Horsemen Motorcycle Club put a large dent
in illegal drug operations in southern Maine.
Richard Szpyt, 49,
of Haverhill, Mass., and Old Orchard Beach, the former president of the
Iron Horsemen in Maine, was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute
cocaine and marijuana following a six-day jury trial. Also convicted on
drug conspiracy charges were Sherwood Jordan, of Albany Township, Maine,
and Ramon Delossantos, of Haverhill, Mass.
Ouellette said the
three were "major players" in a drug distribution ring that led to the
arrests of a total of 29 people, mostly from southern Maine. He said
with the help of several other agencies, law enforcement officials were
able to trace the distribution ring back to drug cartels in Mexico.
The
convictions are the result of "Operation Trojan Horse," two years of
"steady work" on the part of the York County Sheriff's Office and other
agencies, including Biddeford and Old Orchard police, the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Agency and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
After
the arrests of several people in southern Maine on drug charges in
early 2008, Ouellette said it became apparent that the case had
"international implications." There were "large amounts of cocaine,
large amounts of marijuana," guns and money, he said.
"That's when we began to reach out to other agencies," Ouellette added.
The sheriff's office made the decision to pursue the drug distribution trail to the source.
"These are the people we want to keep off the streets," Ouellette said.
Investigators
were able to determine that the drugs were coming from Mexico, going to
Atlanta, then to Haverhill, Mass., and from there to Maine for
distribution. The Iron Horsemen had a clubhouse in an Old Orchard Beach
house owned by Szpyt. A house on Summit Street in Old Orchard Beach,
owned by Robert and Lara Sanborn, was the primary location for the
operation's narcotics transactions, according to the sheriff's office.
Ouellette
said the case was the "deepest investigation" in which he had ever been
involved during his tenure as York County sheriff.
Among the
items seized from those convicted in the drug operation were nine
motorcycles; three motor vehicles; two pieces of property in Old Orchard
Beach; 10 kilos of cocaine; 600 pounds of marijuana; several weapons,
including AK 47s, AR 15s, and handguns; and $37,000 cash. The sheriff's
office displayed some of the items at a May 18 news conference in the
Community Room of the York County Jail. Two large bales of marijuana,
the size of a small suitcase, were stacked at one end of the table,
along with three large bags of marijuana, a kilo of cocaine and a
zip-lock bag of American currency. At the other side was an array of
weapons, scales and cutting tools.
Among the equipment seized were
two sets of night vision goggles, Ouellette said, pointing out that
members of the drug operation were watching their own people, a factor
that made the investigation particularly dangerous for the agents
involved.
Operation
Trojan Horse was a case which could only have reached a conclusion with
the help of local, state and federal agencies, Ouellette said.
In
addition to Szpyt, Delossantos and Jordan, several others charged in
the alleged drug conspiracy have either entered pleas or were convicted
at trial. Ouellette said a few cases remain to be adjudicated.
Szpyt,
who has two prior felony convictions, faces a sentence of 10 years to
life, Ouellette said. Szpyt, Delossantos and Jordan are in federal
custody.
UNITED STATES of America, Appellee, v. Sherwood K. JORDAN, Defendant, Appellant.
No. 92-2332.
United States Court of Appeals, First Circuit.
Heard April 7, 1993. Decided July 16, 1993.
David G. Webbert with whom Berman & Simmons, P.A., Lewiston, ME, was on brief, for appellant.
F. Mark Terison, Asst. U.S. Atty., with whom
Richard S. Cohen, U.S. Atty., and Richard W. Murphy, Asst. U.S. Atty.,
Portland, ME, were on brief, for appellee.
Before SELYA, Circuit Judge, FRIEDMAN,* Senior Circuit Judge, and CYR, Circuit Judge.
CYR, Circuit Judge.
1
On December 3, 1991, Maine law enforcement
personnel executed a search warrant at the home of appellant Sherwood
Jordan, seizing more than a kilogram of marijuana, a triple beam scale,
$5,880 in cash, six firearms, and nearly 1000 rounds of assault-rifle
ammunition. A federal grand jury subsequently indicted Jordan on six
counts of possession of firearms or ammunition by a felon, 18 U.S.C. §§
922(g)(1), 924, and one count of possessing marijuana with intent to
distribute, 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(D).
2
Jordan moved to suppress all evidence seized
during the search, contending that the warrant was issued without
probable cause. Although it expressed "grave reservations as to the
sufficiency of the probable cause showing," the district court, relying
on the "good faith" exception to the exclusionary rule, see United
States v. Leon, 468U.S.897, 104S. Ct.3405, 82L. Ed. 2d677(1984),
denied the motion to suppress. Jordan subsequently entered
conditional guilty pleas to three firearms charges and the drug
distribution charge, reserving the right to appeal the suppression
ruling. See Fed.R.Crim.P. 11(a)(2).
3
A. The Supporting Affidavit.
4
The search warrant was issued by a state court
judge on the strength of the affidavit of Agent Winston McGill of the
Maine Bureau of Intergovernmental Drug Enforcement. The affidavit
related in great detail two controlled marijuana "buys," within the
preceding ten days, from one Donald Moyse, a convicted drug offender, by
a confidential informant acting under the direct control and
surveillance of Agent McGill. McGill attested that the confidential
informant previously had provided reliable tips and had cooperated with
local authorities in other controlled marijuana "buys." The affidavit
related that Donald Moyse told the confidential informant that the
marijuana involved in both controlled "buys" had come from Jordan's
residence, and that both "buys" had been conducted in essentially the
same manner: the confidential informant would meet with one Cary
LaFrance at a local rest stop area and turn over the agreed purchase
price (supplied by Agent McGill). LaFrance would drive to Donald
Moyse's residence, and the two would proceed to the Jordan residence
where the marijuana was kept. Moyse and LaFrance would then meet with
the informant at a local school and deliver the marijuana.
5
On the occasion of each controlled "buy," McGill
searched the confidential informant for contraband immediately prior to
providing the purchase money; prior to the second "buy," he searched
the informant's vehicle as well. McGill then surveilled the unfolding
transaction, observing as the informant delivered the "buy" money to
LaFrance, following LaFrance to Moyse's house, and watching LaFrance and
Moyse as they proceeded to Jordan's residence, then to the local
school. In each instance, McGill's affidavit attests, the informant
told McGill that the marijuana had been turned over to him by Moyse and
LaFrance at the school and that it had been obtained, according to
Moyse, at Jordan's residence. Following the second "buy," the
informant told McGill that Moyse had stated that there was a "large
quantity" of marijuana at the Jordan residence. Finally, the affidavit
represented that urinalysis conducted while Moyse was on probation
occasionally revealed positive results for marijuana use.
6
B. The District Court Decision.
7
Contrary to Jordan's contention on appeal, the
district court's "grave reservations as to the sufficiency of the
probable cause showing" did not amount to a finding that the warrant was
not based on probable cause. "Grave reservations" do not a ruling
make. Rather, the district court plainly bypassed any "probable cause"
ruling in favor of its functionally distinct reliance on the "good
faith" exception to the exclusionary rule. In addition, we agree with
the government that the McGill affidavit made a sufficient showing of
probable cause.1
8
C. Probable Cause.
9
We must accord the issuing judge's "probable cause" determination "great deference," United States v. Scalia, 993F.2d984, 986 (1st Cir.1993) (quoting United States v. Ciampa, 793F.2d19,
22 (1st Cir.1986)), with a common-sense view to whether the "totality
of the circumstances" related in the supporting affidavit, Illinois v.
Gates, 462U.S.213, 238, 103S. Ct.2317, 2332, 76L. Ed. 2d527(1983),
gave rise to a fair probability that a search of the target premises
would uncover contraband or evidence of a crime. See United States v.
Caggiano, 899F.2d99, 102 (1st Cir.1990) (citing Gates,462U.S. at 238-39, 103 S.Ct. at 2332). The "fair probability" threshold does not require a prima facie showing of criminal activity. Ciampa,793F.2d at 22(citing Gates,462U.S. at 235, 103 S.Ct. at 2330-31).
10
Jordan makes a spirited attack on the McGill
affidavit: neither McGill nor the informant had any direct contact with
Jordan, nor directly observed any drug buy or transfer at the Jordan
residence; Moyse's representations that the marijuana came from
Jordan's home are "double hearsay"; Moyse, a marijuana user and
convicted drug offender, was not a reliable hearsay declarant and,
finally, the affidavit did not demonstrate a "fair probability" that
marijuana or related contraband would be found at the Jordan residence
since the marijuana Moyse sold to the informant could have come from
LaFrance, Moyse, the school, or Jordan's residence.
11
We agree that nothing in the McGill affidavit
excluded the possibility that the marijuana may have come from some
place other than the Jordan residence. Nevertheless, viewing the
totality of the circumstances related in the affidavit, rather than
judging "bits and pieces of information in isolation," United States v.
Cochrane, 896F.2d635, 637 (1st Cir.) (citing Massachusetts v. Upton, 466U.S.727, 732, 104S. Ct.2085, 2088, 80L. Ed. 2d721(1984)), cert. denied, 496U.S.929, 110S. Ct.2627, 110L. Ed. 2d647(1990), the affidavit was sufficient to support the issuing judge's "common-sense" determination of probable cause.
12
Hearsay statements, like those of Moyse and the informant, often are the stuff of search warrant affidavits. See, e.g., Scalia,993F.2d at 985-86; Ciampa,793F.2d at 24.
Their reliability may be corroborated by various means, including
direct surveillance or circumstantial evidence, or vouchsafed by the
affiant--in this case a highly experienced law enforcement officer.
See, e.g., Scalia,993F.2d at 987-88.
McGill attested that the confidential informant had provided reliable
information and investigative assistance to the police in the past,
which may have been sufficient in itself to establish the reliability of
the informant's hearsay statements. See, e.g., Ciampa,793F.2d at 24(hearsay conveyed by "proven reliable informant"); cf. United States v. Campbell, 732F.2d1017,
1019 (1st Cir.1984) (double hearsay unacceptable basis for probable
cause where neither informant nor confidential contact had dealt with
police in the past). Moreover, McGill also attested that (i) Moyse was
an unwitting participant in the controlled "buy," and (ii) unbeknownst
to Moyse, McGill observed Moyse's entrance to Jordan's residence on both
occasions, thereby establishing that Moyse was in a position to know
whether Jordan kept marijuana at his residence. See Ciampa,793F.2d at 24.
13
Finally, McGill contemporaneously surveilled all
conspicuous steps taken in the course of both controlled "buys," which
proceeded exactly as foretold by the confidential informant, and
included stops at Jordan's home, the site of the search. Thus,
independent corroboration lent further credence to the confidential
informant's statements (i.e., the location of the marijuana). See
United States v. Jorge, 865F.2d6, 9 (1st Cir.1989), cert. denied, 490U.S.1027, 109S. Ct.1762, 104L. Ed. 2d198(1989); see also Gates,462U.S. at 244,
103 S.Ct. at 2335 (White, J., concurring) ("Because an informant is
right about some things, he is more probably right about other
facts....").
14
Appellant nevertheless correctly observes that
these factors in combination do not exclude the possibility that Moyse
might have obtained the marijuana at some place along the drug "buy"
route other than Jordan's residence. But given the experience and
training of the affiant, the confidential informant's proven
reliability, and the corroboration of the informant's and Moyse's
hearsay reports by means of direct police surveillance, the issuing
judge was not required to credit the speculative possibility that the
marijuana might have been obtained elsewhere along the drug route than
Jordan's residence. Nor may we do so. See Scalia,993F.2d at 986(issuing
judge's "probable cause" determination entitled to "great deference").
Viewed in their totality, therefore, the circumstances related in the
supporting affidavit, together with reasonable inferences therefrom,
provided a "substantial basis" for the issuing judge's common-sense
determination that there was a fair probability that Jordan's home
contained contraband or evidence of a crime. Caggiano,899F.2d at 102(citing Gates,462U.S. at 238-39, 103 S.Ct. at 2332).
As there was no evidentiary hearing on the motion to
suppress, we examine the only supporting evidence--the McGill
affidavit--to determine the sufficiency of the probable cause showing.
Cf. Leon,468U.S. at 925,
104 S.Ct. at 3421-22 (reviewing court may resolve sufficiency of
"probable cause" showing before considering "good faith" exception)
Sharon
DeSousa, national president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada,
attends a demonstration in front of the Ottawa office of the Treasury
Board president last April. (Francis Ferland/CBC)
Christiane
Fox, deputy clerk of the Privy Council Office, says being physically
present in the office can help public servants do their jobs better. (Maxim Saavedra-Ducharme/Radio-Canada)
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