The mayor of the Canadian city of Toronto has admitted to smoking crack cocaine in one of his “drunken stupors.”
At a Tuesday press conference outside his office in the country’s largest city, Rob Ford said that he was “forever sorry” for smoking crack cocaine about a year ago, adding that he was not an addict.
“Yes I have smoked crack cocaine… Probably in one of my drunken stupors, probably approximately about a year ago,” Toronto’s mayor said.
“To the residents of Toronto, I know I have let you down and I can’t do anything else but apologize and apologize, and I’m so sorry,” he added.
Ford reiterated that he would not heed calls to step down.
On Thursday, Toronto police chief Bill Blair revealed that investigators had recovered a digital video file containing images of the mayor consistent with what had previously been reported by media.
“There have been times when I’ve been in a drunken stupor. That’s why I want to see the tape,” he said, adding, “I want everyone in the city to see this tape. I don’t even recall there being a tape or video. I want to see the state that I was in.”
When asked why he previously denied the drug use, Ford said, “I wasn’t lying. You didn’t ask the correct questions.”