John Key assures the public he is not linked to the Panama Papers scandal, Stuff, 13 April 2016
Whitney was "highly ethical" and that was why he chose him as his lawyer."I don't deal with people unless they're highly ethical and they do things well."
John Key's lawyer 'misrepresented' him on foreign trusts industry, New Zealand Herald, 2 May 2016
Prime Minister John Key says his lawyer misrepresented him while lobbying another minister about a potential crackdown on the foreign trusts industry.
[...]
In a letter to then-Revenue Minister Todd McClay in December 2014, Mr Whitney said the Prime Minister had told him the Government had no plans to tighten the rules for the industry.
Speaking to Radio New Zealand this morning, Mr Key said this was a misrepresentation of what he had said.
Mr Key said that he had told his lawyer that he was not aware of any changes being planned by the Inland Revenue Department, and referred him to the minister for further discussion.
So, John Key's "highly ethical" lawyer is now "misrepresenting" him. So, was Key lying about him then, or defaming him now? Alternatively, if everything is as Key suggests, and he's not merely smearing him in an effort to distance himself from someone whose dirty dealings have made him look bad, it raises an obvious question: is Whitney still Key's lawyer now he has proved himself unethical, and if so, why?
