Rob Ford video frenzy a 'personal attack,' says brother
Coun. Doug Ford lashes out at two Toronto city councillors
The frenzy surrounding Toronto Mayor Rob Ford's appearance at a street festival over the weekend is nothing but a "personal attack," his brother Coun. Doug Ford says.
"Everyone had a great time, nobody got hurt, and this is being blown out of proportion," Ford said Tuesday after arriving at city hall. "It's not about Rob having a couple of beers down at the Danforth. It's about has he maintained the taxes, is he fixing the roads?"
Ford lashed out at councillors Jaye Robinson and Shelley Carroll, who were critical of the mayor's actions after several videos were posted online showing him acting strangely.
'At the end of the day, people had a great time. I showed up down there. People were lined up from Timbuktu to get a picture with him.'—Coun. Doug Ford
A witness who shot one of the videos told CBC News said the mayor appeared "drunk" causing Robinson to renew her calls for him to take a leave of absence and seek help for personal issues.
Ford also accused Robinson of not being able to "perform in her job" and said that was the reason for her firing from the mayor's executive committee in June.
"That's the reason she's going after him," Ford said.
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Robinson later snapped back on Twitter claiming she had never been given a reason for her removal until now.
"He claimed I was removed from Executive for "performance issues." News to me - the Mayor didn't give me a reason until now!," Robinson tweeted.
Coun. Ford also went on to defend the Ford administration's fiscal record and accused Coun. Carroll of putting the city into "hundreds of millions of dollars of debt" as former mayor David Miller's budget chief.
"We've turned this city around, she had double-digit increases in taxes," he said.
'He had a couple pops'
On Sunday, the mayor admitted on his weekly radio show, hosted alongside brother Doug, that he had "a couple of beers" while at the Taste of the Danforth Festival. Mayor Ford said he did not drive home from the event.
Today Coun. Ford dodged a question about if he was told where his brother was drinking.
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A video reportedly captured as Ford first arrives at the event alone shows him repeatedly telling a swarm of people "I'm not driving. I'm not driving. I'm not driving."
"At the end of the day, people had a great time," Doug Ford said. "I showed up down there. People were lined up from Timbuktu to get a picture with him. He's gone to over a thousand events. He had a couple of pops. Big deal."