Conservative operatives are being blamed for circulating decade-old photos showing potential Liberal leadership candidate Mark Carney with convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell at a 2013 British festival.
The images, which emerged on social media Monday from an anonymous account, show the former Bank of Canada governor and his wife Diana Fox Carney with Maxwell at the upscale Wilderness Festival in Oxfordshire, England.
A source close to Carney dismissed any suggestion of a meaningful connection between the banker and Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking related to her association with Jeffrey Epstein.
"As a child, the woman you reference went to the same high school as Mr. Carney's wife's sister. While they have bumped into each other in public settings (including the 11-year-old photos you've sent), they are not friends," the source told the Toronto Sun.
The photos were taken at an event hosted at Cornbury Park, the estate of Carney's sister-in-law Lady Tania Rotherwick, shortly after Carney assumed his role as Bank of England governor.
British media described the festival as "Poshstock," catering to wealthy attendees with luxury amenities.
The Carney campaign has accused Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and adviser Jenni Byrne of releasing the photos.
While the photos are prior to Maxwell's arrest and conviction, they were taken several years after her associate Jeffrey Epstein served 13 months in prison for sexual offences in 2008-09.
Maxwell, who was later convicted of recruiting young girls for Epstein and his associates, was reportedly a longtime friend of Rotherwick and a frequent guest at the festival.
The emergence of these images comes as speculation grows about Carney's potential bid for the Liberal leadership, though he has not officially declared his candidacy.
