Uh-oh

Key Martin aides summoned to testify on federal research deals:

Two confidants of Paul Martin are being subpoenaed by a Commons committee investigating federal research contracts that went to a firm with ties to the prime minister. John Williams, Conservative chairman of the public accounts committee, said Monday that summonses will be issued for Terrie O'Leary and David Herle, two of Martin's oldest political allies and closest advisers. Also subpoenaed will be Warren Kinsella, a former Jean Chretien loyalist and longtime Martin nemesis, and Peter Daniel, a former Finance Department official.

This is where things get really ugly. For those just joining us:

Testimony and documents tabled at the federal sponsorship inquiry, headed by Justice John Gomery, indicate that Public Works and Finance fought a fierce battle in the early and mid-90s over opinion polling and advertising contracts. Chuck Guité, the disgraced former bureaucrat who later went on to run the sponsorship program, has testified that Martin's office tried to meddle in some ad and polling deals. Kinsella, for his part, testified before Gomery that Dingwall was upset that Finance appeared to be making an end run around contracting guidelines. O'Leary and others on the Martin team have hotly denied that. They say they were only trying to open up contract competitions to new firms, because Finance was dissatisfied with the companies chosen until then by Public Works.

And on whose behalf were the Martinites allegedly meddling? I can tell you it starts with E and ends in E, but beyond that a publication ban is in effect. The fun begins April 18.