Toronto’s mayor tried to downplay a new video Wednesday that shows him cursing out the city’s police chief in a drunken rant at a fast food restaurant.
Rob Ford told reporters that the video, which came out Tuesday, was “a minor setback.” But he maintained that his drinking doesn’t prevent him from doing a good job as mayor.
“As you know, I’m a human being — the same as every one of you,” Ford said. “I’m entitled to a personal life, and my personal life does not interfere with the work I do, day-in and day-out, for the taxpayers of this great city.”
In the minute-long clip, Ford used a profanity to describe Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair and then babbles incoherently for the rest of the video, speaking at times with a Jamaican accent in Creole. He says he was only a little drunk and did not do drugs that night.
The firestorm around the video comes just a few months after Ford admitted he smoked crack and had a drinking problem. He has since pledged to refrain from substance abuse and plans to run for re-election in October.
[CNN]