Bill Kelly: Taverner hiring fiasco exposes a political double standard

The ongoing fiasco of the questionable hiring of Doug Ford’s buddy, Ron Taverner, to be the new OPP Commissioner becomes more absurd with each passing day.

As we know, Ford’s hand-picked selection committee lowered the qualification standards for the job, just hours after the job was posted, apparently to allow Ford’s friend, Ron Taverner, to qualify and low and behold, Taverner was chosen for the job.

READ MORE: Appointment of Ron Taverner to OPP Commissioner delayed

What are the chances of that happening? Pretty good, apparently, if you’re a friend of Doug Ford.

Acting OPP Commissioner Brad Blair wrote a scathing letter to the Ontario Ombudsman, asking him to investigate the questionable selection process.

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For having the temerity to question Ford’s antics, Blair was removed from the interim top cop job this past weekend.

WATCH BELOW: Timeline of Ron Taverner’s appointment as OPP Commissioner

2:07 Timeline of Ron Taverner’s appointment as OPP Commissioner

Clearly, Ford doesn’t understand that the OPP Commissioner’s first responsibility is to law and order, not to cater to the whims of the premier.

It’s noteworthy that the conservative pundits, and Ford himself, continually blasted former Premier Kathleen Wynne for favouring her cronies with key appointments.

But now that Doug Ford is doing the exact same thing, those same pundits are strangely silent and seem to give Ford a free pass.

The message is clear; it’s wrong to abuse the power of political office, unless of course, it’s your political party that’s doing it!

Bill Kelly is the host of the Bill Kelly Show on Global News Radio 900 CHML.