SPECIAL INVESTIGATION: Jami-Lee Ross – National Affairs and the Public Interest
Selwyn Manning is the founding editor of Scoop, The Daily Blog and is now editor at Evening Report. He was a press secretary in the Helen Clark Government and one of New Zealand’s most respected political commentators. His investigation into the sectioning of Jami-Lee Ross raises serious and dark questions that require immediate analysis.
Accusations have surfaced alleging the current National Party leadership conspired to politically destroy Jami-Lee Ross – this after details of his affair with a fellow party MP became known to them. The allegations raise serious questions. Those questions include: what did National’s leader and deputy leader know and when did they find out?
A sworn-to timeline of events is now essential so that the public interest can be satisfied. This must be a crucial element that is cemented in to the methodology of Simon Bridges’ inquiry into the culture of the National Party. Above all, it must be independent and publicly accessible.
The inquiry must examine the National leadership team’s actions and culture, test whether they acted in a proper and timely manner, and assess whether their actions considered a concern for the welfare and mental health of an MP they had previously supported, promoted, and embedded within their leadership team.
It follows that allegations suggesting a “hit job” was orchestrated from inside the National Party leadership must also be independently explored.
If the inquiry finds that either the leader, or deputy leader, was part of a destructive and inhumane attack on Jami-Lee Ross – while it was known that he was at high risk of being pushed over the edge, was ill, and verging on suicide – and that they acted without reasonable regard for his welfare, then it must be accepted by the National Party caucus, its membership and the public, that this National leadership team is at the very least morally bankrupt.
This inquiry ought to be conducted amidst a background whereby Ross declared his role in the destructive side of politics; following the orders of Sir John Key, Bill English, Paula Bennett and Simon Bridges. Ross was afterall a ‘numbers man’ for Bridges, and benefitted from the patronage that the Bridges-Bennett leadership team offered.
There are a number of ‘ifs’ in this analysis, but the public interest demands that they be considered.
The allegations have surfaced on the blog-site Whaleoil which is owned and edited by controversial writer Cameron Slater.
Some may dismiss the allegations on the basis of tribalism, or ignore the allegations because Slater was centrally involved in National’s so called Dirty Politics as revealed in 2014. But the nature of the allegations are as serious as they get in politics, and, if accurate played a part in the sudden deterioration of Jami-Lee Ross’ mental health, the sectioning of Ross for his own protection, and the erasion of credibility of a potential political opponent who was determined to continue as a critical member of New Zealand’s Parliament.
This analysis’ argument suggests any such bias, on behalf by Cameron Slater’s opponents, ought to be ethically and morally put aside until such a time as the truth and facts are tested. Such an inquiry, preferably judicial but essentially independent, must be robust and critical in its analysis.
To reiterate; numerous elements of this saga elevate the issues to a matter of serious public interest.
And it must be noted at this juncture, that the party’s leader Simon Bridges insists he has acted appropriately and denies taking part in any political “hit job”.
Let’s examine what Evening Report has learned from contacts close to events.
Alleged details of events between Saturday-Sunday October 20-21
There is a txt-chain of events that investigators can forensically examine that are central to understanding who was involved in the sectioning of Jami-Lee Ross.
If the txts are examined they will determine if it is fact that the National Party MP, with whom Jami-Lee Ross had a three-year affair, rang the Police and that as a consequence of that call the Police used mental health laws to take Jami-Lee Ross into custody and contain him within the mental health unit at Counties Manukau Health.
Txts will also show whether it is fact that the female MP then called Simon Bridges’ chief of staff at 9:15pm on Saturday October 20 informing him of the events. If so Bridges’ office was aware of an alleged suicide attempt. Investigators would then be able to assess whether a txt message from Jami-Lee Ross’ psychologist, who Evening Report understands messaged Jami-Lee Ross at 9:28pm on Saturday October 20, asking if he was ok, and that the psychologist had minutes prior received a txt message from Jamie Gray, Simon Bridges’ chief of staff.
It is a matter of public record that Simon Bridges appeared on NewsHub’s AM Show on Tuesday October 23, denying all knowledge of events on the Saturday night – that is until a wider grouping within the National Party became privy to what had happened to Jami-Lee Ross.
It appears reasonable to form an opinion that Bridges’ chief of staff would have informed the leader of such an event. If he didn’t, why didn’t he inform Bridges?
The sectioning of Jami-Lee Ross ended a week where many National Party MPs, and a wider network of those loyal to the party, appeared to be actively orchestrating a coordinated campaign to destroy the so-called rogue MP’s political chances and to discredit his claims of corruption within the National Party leadership. Had Jami-Lee Ross abused his position as the senior whip within the party? It certainly appears so. Did he abuse the power he was afforded? Media reports would suggest this was so. Did he have an affair with at least two women? Yes. But it appears that the public attacks began, not at the time when senior members of the party were informed of Ross’ actions, but, once Ross began to attack the leadership. This is significant.
An Opposition’s Role As The Public’s Advocate
As senior representatives of New Zealand’s Legislature, leader Simon Bridges and deputy leader Paula Bennett can arguably be regarded as the public’s advocates within Parliament. Their job is to keep the Executive Government on its toes, challenge its policy and rationale, to be Parliament’s keepers of the public’s interest.
As such, the public deserves to know if the leaders, as a team or individually, conspired to destroy the political chances of an MP and former colleague, who they considered to have gone rogue, and who they knew was suffering a crisis of mental health so serious that it could have ended in death.
It is in consideration of the public interest, that this editorial is written.
We now know as fact, Jami-Lee Ross had a three year affair with a South Island-based National MP.[name withheld]. Like him, she has two children and was married.
While the affair was going ‘well’, contacts inside the National Party have told Evening Report that Jami-Lee encouraged Bridges to promote his lover above her standing and reputation in caucus, well above some high profile MPs like National’s Chris Bishop who are respected among colleagues and media and seen to have been doing their job well. The promotion was seen to give leverage, to sure up the numbers to stabilise Bridges’ and Bennett’s leadership team at a time when they sensed support was delicate.
Meanwhile, Jami-Lee Ross continued to pull in big donations from wealthy Chinese residents in his Botany electorate. As a reward, Bridges embedded him into his inner core, the top three. Politically, this is really an unsound move by a political leader. With Ross being senior whip, he is supposed to be directed by the leader to pull MPs into line, to do the leader’s bidding, and to do this without necessarily knowing the deep and dark details underlying the leader’s moves.
In effect, with Jami-Lee Ross becoming a central figure, knowing all the details, the dirt, the strategy and tactics, it centralised too much power into the whip position and elevated a real danger of a whip using the position for his own gain. To reiterate, this appears a seriously stupid move of Bridges and Bennett to pull a whip in on their machinations. And, in a significant contact’s view, it appears they risked this because Jami-Lee was pulling in the donor money.
Jami-Lee Ross had been on the rise for a time. Former Prime Minister John Key promoted him to the whips office. Then PM Bill English secured Ross’s rise by maintaining and elevating his whip role. Bridges and Bennett further empowered Jami-Lee Ross by cementing him into the whip position, a move that suggested National’s power-politicians were well satisfied with his service.
It’s hard to tell how far back it was when Jami-Lee Ross began to record Bridges. And, at this juncture, it’s difficult to know if he recorded Bennett as well. The public is left to fathom whether it was when his affair with the National MP went sour and perhaps Ross sensed Bennett having become close to her.
In any event, when Jami-Lee Ross fell out with his colleague and lover, sources say Bennett played a crucial role in the analysis of his conduct, in particular women who had allegedly been burned by Ross. Two women, contacts inside National state, were staff of the National Party leader. The MP (whom Ross had a three-year affair with) and the two staff members are said by National Party contacts to be the subject of NewsRoom.co.nz’s investigation into Ross’ activities, an investigation that is believed to have spanned up to one year in duration. Evening Report raises this aspect as the public interest demands to consider whether it is reasonable to believe that two staffers in the leader’s office never told nor informed Bridges, or the chief of staff, that they were cooperating in a media investigation into the leader’s chief and senior whip?
Contacts state that Bennett gained the women’s confidence, received information so it could be prepared as part of a disciplinary process. Did Bennett choose to engage media with this information? If so, once media received the information, what involvement did the deputy leader have or continue to have, or engage with, the complainants and media?
Sources inside National state Bennett then seeded info about Jami-Lee Ross having had an affair. They point to her having hinted at behaviour unbecoming of a married member of Parliament during an interview before TV, radio and print journalists. Did she do this without Bridges knowing or being forewarned.
If true, in effect, this would have driven the narrative ahead of the leader. If so, it is reasonable to fathom that a senior politician would know Bridges would be forced to defend the character-attack campaign that appeared orchestrated and designed to destroy Ross. Amidst the firestorm, National MP Maggie Barry spoke out against Ross with significant indignation. This will have been digested by the public that National had expelled a human predator from its midst. It also gave the impression National’s female caucus members were unified. However, respected MP Nikki Kaye kept out of it. Why?
Next, Bridges was forced to field political journalists’ questions about breaking the old convention that you keep affairs and family issues under the covers.
Bridges was then compelled to inform media that he had “told off” his deputy leader for giving credence that an affair had been ongoing between Ross and a Nat MP. This made Bridges look even weaker.
The future of National’s leadership
National Party contacts suggest Bridges is positioned where he will be forced to absorb the political fallout for what is seen by some as a character assassination campaign gone wrong. One contact states that once Bridges is rendered useless, and the issue dies down, Bennett herself will be well positioned to remove Bridges as leader in 2019.
It is reasonable to form an opinion that senior National MP Judith Collins will also be available if the leadership were to fall vacant. Her popularity is again on the rise.
At this juncture, for Bridges and Bennett, it appears wise for them to expect more National Party dirt to emerge before the end of the year. Evening Report’s sources say: “ample dirt lingers just below the surface.”
For a party that once stated it had no factions, it certainly seems its personality factions are now in all-out political warfare.
Judith Collins’ star has been rising since she returned to the front-bench in opposition. And it has been bolstered by a favourable Colmar Brunton Poll. It’s fair to suggest she has laid heavy hits on Labour’s Housing Minister Phil Twyford. As a consequence, her standing within the caucus has improved. On investigation, it is clear she has not had the loyalty of Jami-Lee Ross since he was promoted by John Key. He, along with Mark Mitchell, then supported Bill English for the leadership. Bennett and Mitchell are politically close. It does appear that moves by some media to connect Jami-Lee Ross’ revelations with a Judith Collins plan as not based on fact.
While there’s an expectation among interested public that Collins will be the next leader, she will need the support of what’s left of National’s social conservatives and those loyal to Nikki Kaye.
For Collins to succeed, she will have to be seen to inoculate the party from damaging information that may be in the possession of Jami-Lee Ross. All the while, she, like Bennett, needs Bridges to continue to fail as a leader.
It is fair to accept, the recordings and damaging information are now with Cam Slater and Simon Lusk. It is also reasonable to suggest that Bridges is a disappointment to some who once supported his bid for leadership. Cam Slater is clearly appalled at what he refers to as a “hit job”.
Slater is adamant that he is not motivated by an agenda, nor by a pitch by a fiscal conservative faction to gain leadership of the National party. Rather he said, he is motivated to help an old friend who the current leadership moved to destroy. He added on his blog-site, if the current leadership continues “to lie” he will continue to reveal the truth.
Meanwhile, Jami-Lee Ross is being reassured and cared for by a mutual friend of his and Slater’s who is a pastor with the Seventh Day Adventists.
Contacts say, with regard to Jami-Lee Ross and his National Party former lover and colleague, the three year affair was a relationship that in the end didn’t deliver what either banked on – despite promotions and connections and having benefitted politically from their association.
It’s fair to say, Jami-Lee Ross was out of his experiential depth and in part abusive from the point of view of how to handle political power, networks and consensual relationships.
Two other women who laid complaints about Ross, worked in the leader’s office.
Bridges is adamant he didn’t know about the abuse of power nor the complaints. Did Bennett know? At what point was she privy to the information?
One National Party contact said: “It defies reasonable belief that Bridges didn’t know.”
It is right that Bridges has initiated an inquiry into National’s culture. But that in itself falls short or what the public interest demands. Why? Because the inquiry reports back to Bridges, who as leader may well be one of the protagonists. Also, the report will not be released to the public which leaves it as a golden prize, the holy grail, for any journalist and, irrespective of who it damns or exonerates, will become a currency for any MP with leadership ambitions.
As it now stands, Bridges’ worst nightmare must be not knowing what Jami-Lee Ross recorded and at what point did he begin taping the National Party leader’s conversations.
If those recordings contain further embarrassing or damaging content and references, then he will be finished as leader. Bridges, as leader, even if he has a clear conscience, must be wracking his memory as to past conversations and comments while knowing the conversations may be in the hands of people with whom he has lost their trust.
And the question remains unanswered: Was Paula Bennett recorded as well?
If her actions are found by inquirers to have led an orchestrated political response to Jami-Lee Ross’ revelations, whether that be at the behest or otherwise of the current leader, then this will destroy any higher ambitions that she may have ever contemplated.
It follows, that if the report concludes that the rot inside National extends to its current leadership, then it may well be that Judith Collins will become the leader of the National Party, unopposed.
Whatever the future holds for the National Party, it is in everyone’s interests that an independent judicial investigation into this National affair be conducted in a spirit of openness and propriety.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Evening Report invites any individual connected to this analysis to have a right of reply.
Footnote: Interview between the author and Jami-Lee Ross on his role as a new National Party MP (August 13 2012):
Great article Selwyn and thanks for keeping the ‘blowtorch’ on Bridges and co.
We all worry if the national sleeze have gotten control of all of Jami Lee Ross evidence and recordings already????
Could Jami’s ‘lover’ actually stolen or copied them?
We hope the police seized all Jami Lee Ross’s evidence and files on hard drives along with stored phone texts and voice recordings as the communications industry and the five eyes network also store these files as we all know that storing of all our communications is now stolen and confirmed by several ‘leakers’, Assange, snowden, kim.com, and Nikki Hagar to name a few.
Quote from Selywn article; “Because the inquiry reports back to Bridges, who as leader may well be one of the protagonists. Also, the report will not be released to the public which leaves it as a golden prize, the holy grail, for any journalist and, irrespective of who it damns or exonerates, will become a currency for any MP with leadership ambitions.
As it now stands, Bridges’ worst nightmare must be not knowing what Jami-Lee Ross recorded and at what point did he begin taping the National Party leader’s conversations.
If those recordings contain further embarrassing or damaging content and references, then he will be finished as leader. Bridges, as leader, even if he has a clear conscience, must be wracking his memory as to past conversations and comments while knowing the conversations may be in the hands of people with whom he has lost their trust.
And the question remains unanswered: Was Paula Bennett recorded as well?”
they the national mr bridges and his peers are in too deep…..Jaime Lee Ross knows too much….hence the reasons to incarserate him to rid …as i said….he knows too much
Just fucking name her for God’s sake, we all know who it is.
[Unless editorial policy changes, TDB will not publish the woman’s name and any post that attempts to do so will be declined. – Scarletmod]
Why name her, Vanessa ? Why ? Best not, I suggest, to unnecessarily add to another hurting person’s stress. Ever.
Thank you. Note that Ross noted that Bennett was used by Key and English in managing the Todd Barclay affair, so that Key and English could keep their hands clean.Bridges may be continuing that practice.
Bennett has previously indicated she would not hesitate to again violate privacy, but to what extent she is an autonomous Rosa Klebb is questionable; if Simon Bridges was complicit in her disgraceful “inappropriate for a married MP” public announcement, then he really has to go – even if he is the best of a bad bunch.
What happened with Ross that Sat night sounds like what can happen when relationships self-destruct. If there is any question of it then being utilised for a political hit job to try to silence Jami-Lee Ross, then that must be addressed.
“Dirty Politics” showed too many National Party protagonists, from their various dank burrows, to be completely amoral.
If the party implodes, it will rid the political arena of a statistically interesting number of persons inappropriate to be MP’s, now playing Pontius Pilates in a nasty unending Halloween.
National needs to reset – back to before John Keys time. Better still look for a new emerging party to be sure to avoid missed rot.
They do seem to be rebranding themselves- the National Chinese Party
reset or reject or eject one of the latter sounds good
Thanks Selwyn.
I’m picking if Cameron Slater has information in his possession from JLR’s devices, then he is more likely than not to drip feed what he has on the Opposition through his WO blog as a means of retribution to cause as much damage as possible to National, particularly to the present parliamentary hierarchy.
The thought of this will be giving Bridges, Bennett et al a few sleepless nights I’d say!
No need to name her. The female MP who received Ross’s txt then alerted others so help could be called. She did the right thing despite having every reason to despise him.
If the story is as we’re getting it, the woman’s sense of humanity outweighed her anger. Good on her.
Do you happen to know she has reason to despise him Frank? Do you know why they broke up? Was it his call or hers? They must always have known each other’s status.
How have you established that she acted out of humanity and not out of malice? So far the sectioning looks decidedly dodgy . How come he was released so soon?
D J S
I agree, first and foremost she contacted the Police supposedly in concern for Ross’s welfare and then the National party hierarchy for political reasons.
I don’t know how she is handling the fact ,that National has used her affair with Ross to discredit publicly their so called rogue MP.
It seems to me a lot of the hurt caused to all involved parties ,including wives, husbands and the wider families are viewed as collateral damage only.
I personally don’t want these people running the country.
It takes two to tango David not one
Or she was covering her arse – ‘ if he tops himself with my texts on his phone – I might be farked’.
FWIW – I also think she, at this point, needs to out herself, – if in fact she is- as has been stated – an elected rep who spouts on about family values.
But if she’s just a wife having an affair with another’s husband- I think it remains clearly her own business.
They all come across as filthy scum though….
Why, if this is a truly life threatening event, are these people texting each other and not making a phone call.
Unless of course they want everything they did to be explicitly on the record.
Interesting point. I was particularly curious that the psychologist sent a txt message instead of phoning directly. That seems a strange thing for a medical professional to do – you can’t always tell a person’s state of mind purely by text.
This gets more bizarre with each passing day.
Probably off duty- glass of wine…. playing it safe
Maybe for the same reason people in open plan offices send each other emails rather than going and actually interacting 20 yards away?
But I take your point. Did the psychologist also try to call unsuccessfully?
The spooks at “Five Eyes” reading these texts/emails must be laughing themselves stupid, that is until they figure out how they can use them for leverage at a later date.
WHY has it all over a sudden turned to SILENT about Jami Lee Ross? It is bizarre, strange, some will find, he appears to have been chilled, silenced kind of thing, shut up, so to keep his mouth shut and not do more harm to National, that is my impression.
We have Mafia like structures in our politics, but the ordinary, ‘hard working’ and ‘faithful’ Kiwi would never dare think of any EVIL, right?
Wake up, folks, wake up for once, this stinks what has gone on, and how it has all over a sudden changed, to turn to QUIET.
Marc many people live with bad in their daily lives. Abused children, battered wives, toxic work places,overwhelming disabilities, chronic mental and physical health cripplings, zilch insecurity at every level, ignorance and prejudice and racism,dysfunctional families, bullying institutions, direct and indirect messages that they do not matter.
But when we as a social community witness the creatures who are meant to be leaders publicly dripping poison through others’ lives, it is our wake up call that something is terribly systemically amiss, and we do not like it.
National are realising this and they are belatedly shutting up. They are also in self-protective mode because self is all that they are about.
It may be too much to expect politicians who have cynically trashed our environment to suit themselves and their greedy ilk, to have concern for dispensable persons – which we all are – and as they certainly are too.
And MSM gigolos wallow in the past when they knew a man called John : sometimes we just gotta laugh and get on with planting the veges.
I hadn’t seen much of Jami before this. He seemed a bit of a slime mould, but the interview shown was of an articulate astute politician ready with quite comprehensive answers and a thorough knowledge and understanding of the issues he was asked about.
He might be having a hard time emotionally and psychologically at the moment, but I would assess him as having been a distinct potential political rival to all the other actors in this play. I doubt if that is irrelevant to what has happened. He may have sussed that the job of dealing with the $100 000 donation was a potential poisoned challis and taken steps to cover himself.
I don’t think his silence right now is any reason for Bridges et al to feel at ease. And I bet they don’t. He is right to reflect on the situation and think , listen and take stock before deciding what to do next. But that interview was not of a man that will be finished yet.
D J S
Ross may be articulate etc David, but he is one of the Simon Lusk- trained MP’s, and reading of Lusk’s ethos and methodology in “Dirty Politics, ” makes me wonder if anyone subscribing to his way of doing things is the sort of person we really want in Parliament at all.
I have forgotten much of what I knew of the origins of democracy, but it was not this vicious selfish each man for himself, and pox on anyone who gets in the way.Ross entered politics young and without much real life experience or education, and better mentors may well have produced better end results.
I quite agree with you. The smooth ,often evasive, usually self congratulatory language of the typical politician leaves me cold. But this is the popular mode unfortunately, and it does demonstrate some presence of mind and some mental agility. It does not necessarily show integrity or wisdom which would be better but that might not get you elected.
D J S
You repeatedly wonder when Jami-Lee started taping, and who. You should go and ask some of his “colleagues” on Auckland Council. They will confirm to you that he recorded conversations throughout his time on council, and used the recordings when he wanted to. To friend and foe alike.
Given it has always been his modus operandi, it is safe to assume he has been doing it in his whole time as MP too…
Thanks Selwyn.
All filthy stuff. I am really keen to see the money trail from the Chinese businessman who got a gong a while back more than anything.
I just hope that the NZ Police do a thorough investigation job on the info provided by J-L Ross.
But somehow I think I am going to be disappointed – fancy having to rely on Whaleoil to expose this alleged corruption.
Frank M & Selwyn M please continue publicising your investigations.
Thank you Selwyn. These are historic times.
When Nicky Hager’s book was published in 2014, it was the soon-to-be “Sir” John Key who lead the charge of dismissal… “Just a screaming left-wing conspiracy theorist” was his assessment, which was gleefully taken up by the cyber warriors who inhabit the comments sections. Thus so easily dismissed, people forgot about players like Lusk and Bahtnagar. Dirty Politics did not go away, it just lay low, took a break from the glare of publicity. Slater is back, front and, er, slightly off to one side. All we need now is for Jason Ede to reappear from the shadows. We are witnessing the unfolding of John Key’s legacy. Not sure if this is exactly what he intended. Or, what stage we are at exactly.