TRENTON, ONT.—Premier Doug Ford says he didn’t reveal that former cabinet minister Jim Wilson abruptly resigned Friday over sexual misconduct allegations to protect the privacy of the accuser.Denying NDP accusations of a “cover up” of the true reason for the dramatic departure, Ford said Wednesday that he personally approved a press release stating the veteran legislator was leaving only to seek treatment for alcohol addiction. “When we sat down with the person that gave the allegations, they repeatedly asked us not to make this a media story,” Ford told reporters in his first public comments since the scandal began unfolding Friday at suppertime.Read more: Tories go to ground amid swirling scandals at Queen’s ParkInvestigations launched into allegations against former Tory minister Jim Wilson, key aide Andrew KimberPremier Doug Ford shuffles cabinet after Jim Wilson’s departure“It takes courage to come forward to put truth to power and I commend them,” Ford added, speaking of Wilson’s accuser and others who made sexual misconduct allegations about Andrew Kimber, the premier’s former executive director of issues management and legislative affairs, who also left the government suddenly Friday.“They’re a priority…with all due respect to the media, they trump the media.”Ford said an independent firm which he would not name, was hired “immediately” Friday to conduct investigations of the allegations against Wilson and Kimber and has begun interviewing people.He added the accusers are free to “go to the police if they wanted to. They haven’t as of yet. They don’t want to.”The departure of Kimber was not mentioned in the Wilson press release, which also stated the cabinet minister had gone a step further from resigning his economic development portfolio to quit the Progressive Conservative caucus of which he has been a member since winnin ...
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