Reporter pushes back against ‘ridiculous’ Russian spy allegations

A seasoned Canadian writer defended himself connected Friday from a erstwhile Conservative furniture minister’s allegations that helium was a Russian agent.

David Pugliese responded to what helium called the “false claims” aft Chris Alexander testified astir him astatine the Public Safety and National Security Committee.

“I was ne'er approached by anybody, Russians, Chinese, you sanction it. And, no, I’m not a Russian spy,” the Ottawa Citizen newsman told Global News successful an interview.

“No, I’m not a Russian James Bond.”

Appearing astatine a proceeding connected Russian disinformation connected Thursday, Alexander said Moscow had been recruiting Westerners, and cited Pugliese arsenic an example.

The erstwhile migration curate accused the newsman of “long-running covert ties to Moscow” and tabled documents helium said chronicled the KGB’s recruitment of him.

“In a nutshell, these records papers a KGB cognition to endowment spot, recruit, make and tally arsenic an cause a Canadian citizen who’s been a salient writer successful this state for implicit 3 decades,” helium said.

He aboriginal named the writer arsenic Pugliese, whom helium said had reported connected themes that “aim to weaken Canadian enactment for Ukraine.”

He said the documents had been authenticated and shared with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and Canadian Armed Forces.

But the heads of the 2 archives of KGB documents successful the Ukrainian superior Kyiv told Global News they did not person immoderate specified materials.

The Sectoral State Archive of Security Service of Ukraine said Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service would person alternatively kept files of that nature.

The caput of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine archive, Oleksandr Feshenko, said that “no accusation astir the above-mentioned idiosyncratic was found.”

According to a translation of the documents, they sermon the imaginable recruitment of the “promising” Canadian reporter, spanning from 1984 to 1990.

There is nary proposition successful the materials that the Russians ever successfully recruited anyone oregon were adjacent eyeing immoderate targets.

Several experts connected KGB documents said the papers appeared to beryllium morganatic but did not suggest the newsman was ever a Russian agent, lone that the Soviets looked astatine him.

“The KGB approached galore people, and successful many cases, it didn’t spell anywhere,” said Seva Gunitsky, an subordinate prof of governmental subject astatine the University of Toronto.

Simon Miles, an subordinate prof astatine Duke University successful North Carolina, said they were accordant with files held astatine the KGB archives successful Kyiv, but they revealed precise little.

“All they accidental is that an idiosyncratic by this sanction came to the attraction of KGB officials, not adjacent needfully very senior ones and that they were funny successful exploring him arsenic a imaginable people of recruitment,” helium said.

“So thing successful these documents intelligibly says that this idiosyncratic was adjacent approached, oregon surely says that that attack was successful. All they bash is accidental this is thing worthy exploring.”

The president of Docufraud Canada, Dwayne Strocen, said helium analyzed the papers, examining the typewritten entries, handwriting and stamps and determined they were genuine.

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“It was our determination done microscopic introspection that they were each written from that clip period,” helium said. “It’s our nonrecreational and adept sentiment that these documents are each genuine and authentic.“

He said it was imaginable to fake documents. But helium said successful this case, “if this was an elaborate hoax, it would beryllium an elaborate hoax beyond each reasonableness.”

Pugliese said helium had asked the nationalist information committee for the accidental to look and respond to Alexander’s  allegations.

He said helium was not adjacent surviving successful Ottawa for overmuch of the 80s, and helium had ne'er attended a league connected Afghanistan mentioned successful the files.

“I’m nary of this worldly that Mr. Alexander alleges, down parliamentary privilege truthful helium cannot beryllium sued. To me, this is conscionable this is an onslaught connected my journalism,” helium said.

“I’ve done a batch of stories showing misappropriation of funds, showing antithetic things that are going connected successful the subject which shouldn’t.”

“So that’s what journalists do. And obviously, I deliberation radical successful powerfulness oregon idiosyncratic has been ticked disconnected astir my reporting.”

He said helium believes the accusations stem from his quality reports past twelvemonth astir charities operating successful Ukraine tally by Canadian Forces personnel.

“And the Ukrainians made allegations that immoderate of the instrumentality they were getting donated was ineffective and putting lives astatine risk,” helium said.

The stories prompted a $7-million libel suit against Pugliese that leader Postmedia is defending successful the Ontario court.

“And truthful a batch of this has to bash with this ongoing ineligible enactment astir those articles,” helium said.

In a statement, Postmedia called Pugliese a “trusted and esteemed” subordinate of its staff, and said the allegations were baseless. “We cull that accusation and basal firmly down David.”

The Canadian Association of Journalists denounced the “dangerous” onslaught connected Pugliese, portion the national representing media workers, CWA Canada, called it “twisted and sinister.”

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