Dhalla stepped down as the Liberal Youth and Multiculturalism Critic on May 6 and called for a federal ethics investigation to clear her name. She held a press conference two days later in which she described the allegations against her as a coordinated attack on her reputation. A subsequent "The Globe and Mail" article suggested that she had few supporters within the federal Liberal caucus, and that other MPs considered her a "high maintenance" self-promoter, demanding on her staff and unwilling to engage in the mundane details of parliamentary life. Some Liberal MPs have publicly defended her, however, including Judy Sgro. Dhalla's lawyer suggested that the controversy was part of a partisan smear campaign orchestrated by her political opponents. Her lawyer later informed the media that one of the caregivers had made unfounded charges against another employer in the past.