Image Courtesy: Frank Gunn (Canadian Press), Pat McGrath (Postmedia network)
As a journalist of 40 years, David Pugliese likely had a hard time imagining how someone could call his credibility into question. But that was the situation facing the Ottawa Citizen reporter last week, when a former conservative cabinet minister accused him of being a Russian asset.
On October 24th, Chris Alexander, a former minister of citizenship and immigration, testified at a hearing on Russian disinformation. He produced documents from the KGB-era in Russia (1954-1991), which named Pugliese as a possible target for recruitment. Historians and regional experts have confirmed that this only means the Russians looked at Pugliese. There is zero evidence they contacted him, or that he ever did any work for them. There is no evidence whatsoever that senior members of the KGB took an interest in him, since this was a low-level document according to experts. “No, I’m not a Russian James Bond” the 67-year-old father, Pugliese told Global News.
There is also cruel irony in that Alexander brought disinformation to the Committee for Public Safety and National Security. The documents he cites (not public) claim Pugliese lived in Ottawa in 1984 – however Pugliese said he didn’t live there that year. The documents said Pugliese went to a conference in Afghanistan – which the veteran reporter also says isn’t true. Individuals linked to Alexander’s claims have said Pugliese played on the Russian embassy hockey team – but Pugliese points out he can barely skate! This welter of inaccuracies led to a most inappropriate conclusion: that David Pugliese is a Russian asset.
Given the nature of Mr. Pugliese's reporting, it's easy to see why someone like Mr. Alexander would want to discredit him. Pugliese noted in his statement of defence on X (posted below), “I understand the articles I have written – exposing financial irregularities at national defence, bungled billion-dollar military procurements, massive waste of tax dollars and sexual assault in the Canadian Forces – are upsetting to those in and outside government.” Pugliese also believes these accusations stem from his reporting about charities operating in Ukraine, run by Canadian Forces. These charities reportedly had ineffective equipment they were donating, which put lives at risk. Those stories led to a $7 million lawsuit against Pugliese, which his employer Postmedia is defending. Postmedia also released a statement regarding Alexander’s testimony, saying “we reject that accusation and stand firmly behind David.”
It's again worth noting that Mr. Alexander chose to bring these things up behind parliamentary privilege, so he won't have to defend them in court. There also hasn’t been full disclosure of the documents in question, leading to lengthening rumours. The only fallout from these unfounded accusations is to Mr. Pugliese’s reputation, and the danger in which they put his family. This can only be undone with a full apology from the ex-cabinet minister, and MAP is calling for that now, along with government disclosure of the documents surrounding this controversy.
Statement from David Pugliese:
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