MP Tony Clement resigns as Conservative Shadow Minister for Justice over sexting scandal

MP Tony Clement (Parry Sound – Muskoka) has just resigned from his position as the opposition’s justice critic after claiming he was blackmailed with sexually explicit images he sent to an unknown online recipient. Clement is married to Lynne Golding and has three children. "Over the last three weeks, I have shared sexually explicit images and a video of myself to someone who I believed was a consenting female recipient. The recipient was, in fact, an individual or party who targeted me for the purpose of financial extortion," claims Mr. Clement. Tony Clement was a contender for the 2016 Conservative leadership race and bowed out of his bid citing “financial risks”. In response to the allegations Conservative leader Andrew Scheer posted a response on  Facebook claiming that Clement has “decided to seek help” and appointing MP Lisa Raitt (Milton) as the Shadow Minister for Justice effective immediately.

According to sources, the matter is currently under investigation by the RCMP to discover the identity of the suspected extortionist. "I recognize now that I have gone down a wrong path and have exercised very poor judgment. First and foremost, I apologize to my family for the needless pain and humiliation my actions have caused," said Clement. Although Mr. Clement has resigned his position as a Shadow Minister, he will continue to act as an MP.