Liberal candidate says Facebook posts questioning 9/11 were her 'truth' at the time
Maria Manna says she doesn't question official account of attacks despite 2013 post referring to 'the lie'
A Liberal candidate who expressed skepticism about the 9/11 attacks in the U.S. in her social media posts said it was her "truth" at the time and she has since moved on.
Maria Manna, the Liberal candidate in the British Columbia riding of Cowichan-Malahat-Langford, has posted comments on her Facebook page questioning the official account of the events that transpired on Sept. 11, 2001, including two posts on the anniversary of the biggest attack on U.S. soil.
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"So today we remember the tragedy of 911. Today we will talk about who did it and why. Today most people will continue to believe the lie, and again, THEY continue to win. Thank God I know the truth! LOVE is the answer!!!" reads one post from Sept. 11, 2013.
In another post on Feb. 18, 2010, the day a Texas man crashed a plane into an Internal Revenue Service building in Austin, Manna wrote: "This is interesting...a plane crashes into a building.... and the building is still standing...hmmm...I guess the twin towers were... Weaker in structure...."
Responding to an inquiry from CBC News, Manna said: "At the time of those Facebook posts, it was my truth. I have since moved on," she said.
In a subsequent email after CBC made a request for comment to the Liberal Party, Manna clarified her position.
Manna says she accepts 9/11 account
"I want to be extremely clear. I do not question any aspects of what occurred during the tragic events on September 11th, 2001. Let there be no doubt about it," she wrote.
Manna has a personal Facebook page as well as a professional one devoted to her candidacy, but both describe her as a Liberal Party candidate.
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On the Liberal Party website, she is described as a mother of three grown children, businesswoman and philanthropic humanitarian.
Another candidate running under the Liberal banner in the Quebec riding of Laurentides-Labelle also made a comment about 9/11 several years ago on his personal blog, which has since been de-activated.
"The Pentagon has apparently released new footage of AA 77 hitting the Pentagon….but wouldn't you know it, there's *still* no plane visible in the video," the May 16, 2006, post from David Graham reads.
But the candidate insists he has never doubted the official accounts of 9/11.
2nd candidate also denies questioning attack
"As I lost a good friend, Christoffer Carstanjen, on Sept. 11, my comments reflect a yearning to have closure and see the footage of the multiple attacks which took place on that day. Let's be crystal clear: I have never and do not question the events which took place on Sept. 11, 2001," he told CBC News.
Graham's blog posts also levelled criticism at some former and current Liberal politicians and praised Joe Clark as "the last truly principled (even if I don't agree with his principles) Prime Minister we had."
He said those remarks reflect jousting that is typical in political leadership races.
"As for references to past and current MPs, I have been an active and partisan participant in many leadership races over the past decade, and my posts should be viewed in that context," Graham wrote in an email.
A series of candidates have been haunted by former posts on social media. Information has been variously dug up by private citizen bloggers, journalists and political campaign workers.
The Liberal Party campaign deferred comment to the individual candidates.
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