On February 2, 2018, then Prime Minister Stephen Harper revealed in a statement that he knew about the allegations during the 2015 election but could not justify removing him as a candidate because the investigation was closed by police a year ago.
In February 2018, Prime Minister Stephen Harper revealed his knowledge of the allegations from the 2015 election campaign. He was unable to remove the accused due to the fact that the police investigation had already concluded a year prior.