Brother of Rob Ford calls on media to stop ‘harassment’ over alleged crack video

TORONTO – Toronto Mayor Rob Ford still isn’t saying much about allegations that a cellphone video appears to show him smoking crack cocaine, but Doug Ford says his brother has told him the reports are untrue and he believes him.

Doug Ford insisted at a news conference today that Rob Ford has already addressed the allegations by calling them “ridiculous.”

He also called on the media to stop “harassing” members of his family, saying never before has a mayor been so zealously targeted.

Rob Ford dismissed the allegations on Friday as a Toronto Star smear job, but has not commented since then so reporters have been following him to try to get him to talk.

U.S.-based website Gawker and the Star separately reported on Thursday that a drug dealer was shopping around a cellphone video that appeared to show Ford smoking crack.

The publications said their staff had viewed the footage and taken notes about its contents, but neither had purchased the video.

Gawker has been trying to crowdsource $200,000 to buy and publicly post the footage. By Wednesday afternoon, it had raised more than $110,000.