LILLEY: Carney campaign pushes back on Maxwell photos, says 'they are not friends'

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The nascent leadership campaign of Mark Carney is blaming the Pierre Poilievre Conservatives for circulating photos of the global banker with Ghislaine Maxwell, the jailed ex-girlfriend of the late Jeffrey Epstein.

The photos began circulating on social media Monday. It appears the original account to share it is a small anonymous account with few followers and only a few posts over the past few weeks.?

The original post pointed to a photo of Carney and his wife Diana Fox Carney standing with Maxwell, the British socialite-turned-sex trafficker and Epstein associate who is serving 20 years in jail.?

“This is another example of how Pierre Poilievre and (adviser) Jenni Byrne have always played politics and it shows again how terrified they are to fight Mark Carney,” a source close to Carney told the Toronto Sun when asked about the photos and any association between the Carneys and Maxwell.?

“As a child, the woman you reference went to the same high school as Mr. Carney’s wife’s sister. While they have bumped into each other in public settings (including the 11-year-old photos you’ve sent), they are not friends.”?

Several photos from August 2013 show Carney socializing with Maxwell at an event called the Wilderness Festival. Carney had just moved to Britain to take up a new position as governor of the Bank of England after serving five years in the same role with the Bank of Canada.?

Stories in British media from 2013 detailed how Carney used an event held at his sister in-law’s estate as a coming-out party.?

“The economy’s getting better, the sun’s out … and even the new Bank of England boss is chillaxing,” says the headline of a Daily Mail story published in August 2013.

The story includes a photo of Carney, his wife Diana, and Maxwell lounging in the grass at the Wilderness Festival. The event has been described as “Poshstock,” an event for “well-heeled hippies“ that included a “luxury spa, gourmet food and heated yurts,” all laid out on the grounds of Cornbury Park, the massive estate of Carney’s sister in-law Lady Tania Rotherwick.?

Maxwell has been described as an old friend of Rotherwick and a frequent guest at her homes and the Wilderness Festival.?

The published photos of Carney and Maxwell show he and his wife relaxing and in casual conversation with the woman who would go on to become a well-known sex-trafficker to the stars. They certainly can’t be dismissed as just two people being caught in the same frame by a paparazzi photographer.?

The photos predate Maxwell being charged for her involvement in Epstein’s sex crimes, but after Epstein’s 13 months in prison over 2008-09 for sexual offences that Maxwell was not charged for.?

Maxwell is serving 20 years in prison on convictions of sex trafficking related to her decades spent as Epstein’s longtime girlfriend. The accusations included recruiting young girls for sex with Epstein and his celebrity clients.?

“From at least 1994, up to and including in or about 2004, Ghislaine Maxwell assisted, facilitated and participated in Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse of minor girls by, among other things, helping Epstein to recruit, groom and ultimately abuse victims known to Maxwell and Epstein to be under the age of 18,” a statement from the New York District Attorney’s Office said?when Maxwell was convicted in 2022.?

While the full list of clients has never been released, she was known to seek out high-profile men in New York and London society. Court documents and public allegations have included the likes of Prince Andrew, an accusation the prince denies.?

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So what kind of relationship did Carney and his wife have with Maxwell and did that extend to Epstein? Given the photos, it’s a valid question for the man who wants to become the prime minister of Canada in a few short weeks.?

The source close to Carney is emphatic that the Liberal leadership hopeful had no interactions with Epstein and in fact had never heard of him until long after these photos were released.?

“During his time as Bank of England governor, Carney came across thousands of people and was obviously subject to intense and daily U.K. media scrutiny — and if he were at all close to them, you can be sure it would have been a story and not just photos in the press,” the source said.?

Meanwhile, a source in the Conservative party denied they had anything to do with releasing these photos and pointed the finger at one of Carney’s rivals for the Liberal leadership. In the world of politics, that isn’t so farfetched; the most vicious fights are often within the same party.?

Either way, Carney’s campaign denied anything untoward in being photographed with one of the most famous sex-traffickers in the world, they said she was simply a friend of his sister-in-law and he met her before her charges or notoriety.?

Carney should consider this his welcome to the world of politics where whether it is an opponent in another party or within your own party, the blows can be hard and dirty as everyone seeks to grab and hold on to power.?