Secret GCSB recording catches Key out - Labour

Email
Print

Key caught in GCSB recording - Labour

3News NZ

Prime Minister John Key (file)

Prime Minister John Key (file)

By Political Editor Duncan Garner

Prime Minister John Key is facing fresh claims tonight about what he knew about Kim Dotcom, and just what he may have said about the internet tycoon.

Labour claims it has sources inside the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) spy agency who are adamant Mr Key gave an address to staff in which he spoke of Dotcom.

If it's true, then the timing is highly significant – contradicting Mr Key's previous statements, and Labour says there may even be an audio-visual recording of the address.

The GCSB is based at an office in Wellington, and it's there that a GCSB spy told Mr Key on February 29 this year of the agency’s involvement in the Dotcom investigation. Mr Key claimed he only first heard of their involvement on September 17.

“I have no recollection of [being told in February], now it doesn't ring a bell with me, but if he says he did I've got no reason to doubt him,” Mr Key said.

Now Labour says GCSB sources have approached them, saying on the same day in February Mr Key also addressed staff and allegedly made a short 'quip' about Dotcom and the investigation carried out by the GCSB and police.

Labour leader David Shearer says the revelation hurts Mr Key’s credibility.

“This cuts to the heart of his credibility,” he says. “He should come clean.”

According to Labour's GCSB sources, the quip was captured on an internal GCSB camera.

3 News put these claims to the Prime Minister. He initially denied making any Dotcom reference, but then backtracked – saying he can't recall.

“I don’t think so. No,” he said. “I don’t remember it.”

Mr Key says that although he remembers going into the staff café to address GCSB staff, he doesn’t recall whether he made any reference to Dotcom. He says “goodness knows” whether his address was recorded or not, but that the GCSB hasn’t raised the issue of any recording with him.

He challenged Labour to back up their claim.

“Well, they’ll have to find some proof of that,” he says.

Mr Shearer says Mr Key must allow any footage to be released.

“He must get this tape or footage released to clear his name. It cuts to the heart of him as Prime Minister.”

Mr Shearer says the fact the Prime Minister never knows anything is the reason an independent inquiry must go ahead.

3 News

Post a Comment

Before commenting, please take the time to read our moderation guide


(Won't be published)



Comments

17/10/2012 7:26:24 p.m.

mike wrote:

The GCSB is likely denying the existence of the tape as technically there is not tape, the cameras they use don't take tapes, they would be hard-drive or SD-Card. Asking the GCSB for the video file from the camera is the way forward. ;-)

16/10/2012 10:35:05 a.m.

Mal wrote:

@JAN. This will never go away till the truth comes out.

16/10/2012 10:31:56 a.m.

Mal wrote:

I dont trust Key. He's just told one lie too many. GET OUT.

15/10/2012 9:48:41 p.m.

NicC wrote:

Haven't read all the posts here, but has anyone considered that the PM's office are laying an 'elephant trap' for Shearer on this? How hard would it be for the top spy's to say to Key 'Right.. our jobs are on the line, so is yours... here what we do so we ALL stay where we are and this just goes away. We get 2 reasonably highly placed 'staffer' to leak the fabricated story to Labour about them being "amendment' there's an internal recording of Key addressing GCSB staff and quipping about Dot.com 'way back then' etc. Shearer is convinced as to the stories credibility, due to the positions held by the whistle-blowers, and excitedly goes public with it before even receiving 'the tape. When the tape does arrive (and copies to the media simultaneously) lo and behold... no mention of Dot.com. The whistle-blowers plead an unfortunate case of 'innocently confused memories of the event in question' and go deep off the reservation for a while until foreign embassy posts can be hastily arranged, Shearer's reputation is 'terminal' complete political 'toast' before it even started, the Labour Party are once again 'rudderless' at a critical time in their 'rebuilding' and just when they were starting to show signs of slowly eating into the government's daunting lead in the popularity stakes, Key comes out smelling of roses with his 'word' now beyond reproach (but more importantly 'question' as well), the whole rest of this dot.com debacle and 'just-wont-die' story for Key and the Nats ups and disappears overnight because every other failing or instance of 'wrong doing' pales by any comparable 'entertainment' factor as far as the media are concerned because they know damn well the public are fast becoming weary of this story and ready to 'distracted' by something else for a while... something that doesn't contain 'hard nosed' politics and uncomfortable grabs of a flustered and floundering John Key... and they certainly don't want to know listen to him defend his policy around the 'Asset Sales' ...and his view on Maori Preference Shares or their tribunal claims on the water rig..(CLICK!) That's what I'd do anyway.

14/10/2012 4:02:42 p.m.

Chargone wrote:

@Alison because the GG is basically a rubber stamp for the PM and has been since before WW2. That is the main thing we need to fix to get our government working properly. random fiddling with the details won't help much as long as the Main Failsafe on the system refuses to actually act. (it would also help if we could get over the stupid idea that the government being unable to act is worse than the government being able to act Badly, and remembered that Parliament is not supposed to be split into government and opposition, but is a single unit of all our representatives. the ministers are only chosen from that pool to prevent croneyism by the governor, and choosing the PM based on who can get the largest number of votes behind them in parliament (usually by effectively selling the ministry seats) and then assigning the ministries based entirely on the PM's will gets you right back into croneyism, but on the PM's part. who is chosen as PM and ministers is supposed to have NOTHING to do with the election, beyond that the truly incompetent can be ejected by not being re-elected. except that MMP undermines that bit, but the GG can replace the individual in question Anyway...))

13/10/2012 4:20:20 p.m.

the DR wrote:

Teflon john strikes Again! ill bet he cant lie straight in bed. but he did admit he did lie or was it he could not recall. same thing when you can recall and know its not a good look. man up john and just admit it.your so far up the u.s.a arse and you cant see a thing from there time to do the right thing john and step down .or you could prove you have a pair and go to the polls in January and find out just how popular your not but that would take a pair so i guess that's not an option for you, then we will see if you still have your mandate

13/10/2012 10:01:09 a.m.

eddie wrote:

Key has said...'put up or shut up'...show the evidence Shearer, the knock out blow to Key and the Govt!!, it doesn't exist, but Shearer HAS to bring the proof to the parry/debate otherwise it's just dirty politics...C'mon Labour, we are waiting. Although I assume this will be Labours (Shearers) downfall....watch this space!

12/10/2012 1:19:23 p.m.

alison wrote:

Why has the governor general not ordered an inquiry into this debacle and stood key down until such time as he is cleared of acting unlawfully? He himself has admitted his dept GSCB actions were unlawful.

12/10/2012 11:51:13 a.m.

Jan Ellin wrote:

Stop this digging and get on with the business of trying to get the country back on track, as a Labour voter I am sick and tired of Shearer trying to discredit the PM, he needs to show us what Labour will do to get thecountry back on track.

12/10/2012 5:36:36 a.m.

Ian Brant wrote:

This is a not a cock up but a cover up