OTTAWA — Suspended senator Patrick Brazeau is in more legal difficulties after police charged him with assault, uttering threats, cocaine possession and breach of bail conditions. The charges followed what police in Gatineau, Que., say was a domestic violence incident in the early hours of Thursday morning. Here is a timeline of Brazeau's troubled time in politics:
Dec. 22, 2008: Prime Minister Stephen Harper appoints Brazeau to the Senate.
March 31, 2012: Brazeau loses a ballyhooed charity boxing match against Justin Trudeau after the referee called the fight in the middle of the third round.
Nov. 21, 2012: A Senate committee is asked to examine housing allowances Brazeau claimed for a home in Maniwaki, Que., despite appearing to live full-time in another residence within a 100-kilometre radius of Ottawa.
Feb. 7, 2013: Brazeau is arrested after a 911 call from his residence.
Feb. 8, 2013: After a night in jail, Brazeau is charged with assault and sexual assault and released on bail. Meanwhile, the Senate hires external auditing firm to review Brazeau's expense claims, as well as those of senators Mike Duffy and Mac Harb.
Feb. 28, 2013: Senate audit fails to turn up any questionable housing allowance claims beyond those of Brazeau, Harb and Duffy.
May 9, 2013: The Senate releases a report into housing claims, along with a Deloitte audit. Deloitte says the three senators live in Ottawa area, but that the rules and guidelines are unclear, making it difficult to say categorically that anyone broke the rules. Harb and Brazeau are ordered to repay $51,000 and $48,000, respectively. Harb says he will fight the ruling. Duffy earlier repaid disputed amounts with money he got from Harper's then chief of staff Nigel Wright.
May 12, 2013: RCMP says it will examine Senate expense claims.
May 14, 2013: Brazeau says he also broke no rules and is exploring all options to overturn an order to pay the money back.
May 16, 2013: Duffy resigns from Conservative caucus.
May 17, 2013: Sen. Pamela Wallin also announces she's leaving the Conservative caucus. Her travel expenses, which totalled more than $321,000 since September 2010, have been the subject of an external audit since December.
June 13, 2013: Brazeau and Harb are given 30 days to reimburse taxpayers for their disallowed living expenses — bills that together total more than $280,000.
Aug. 26, 2013: Harb, who had earlier left the Liberals to sit as an independent, resigns from the upper chamber. He also drops a lawsuit and pledges to repay his questioned expense claims.
Oct. 17, 2013: Claude Carignan, the government leader in the Senate, introduces motions to suspend Brazeau, Duffy and Wallin. The motions call for the three to be stripped of their pay, benefits and Senate resources.
Oct. 25, 2013: Brazeau says Carignan offered him "a backroom deal": apologize publicly for his actions in exchange for a lighter punishment. Carignan acknowledges the conversation but described the offer as one made out of "friendship."
Oct. 30, 2013: Senate Speaker Noel Kinsella rules that an attempt to cut off debate on motions to suspend the trio is out of order. This delays again the effort to suspend them.
Nov. 4, 2013: Brazeau addresses the Senate chamber for what he acknowledges could be the last time, making an emotional appeal for senators to reconsider his case. At one point, he addresses his children: "It is very important that you understand that I am not guilty of what some of these people are accusing me of. ... I am not a thief, a scammer, a drunken Indian, a drug addict, a failed experiment or a human tragedy."
Nov. 5, 2013: Senators vote to suspend Brazeau, Duffy and Wallin without pay — but with health, dental and life insurance benefits intact — for the remainder of the parliamentary session, which could last two years.
Feb. 4, 2014: The RCMP lay charges of fraud and breach of trust against Harb and Brazeau.
February, 2014: Brazeau takes a job as day manager at an Ottawa strip club.
April 10, 2014: Gatineau police arrest Brazeau after a 4 a.m. domestic violence call. He is charged with assault, possession of drugs, breach of bail conditions and uttering threats.
