Answer me this?

On Q+A former Police Commissioner Andy Coster has said that he did informally brief both Chris Hipkins and Mark Mitchell on the fact McSkimming had an affair.

Putting aside that the issue wasn’t the affair per se, but the allegations of sexual assault and improper use of police resources, there is something very puzzling about this claim by Coster.

If he had already briefed Mitchell on the issue, why did his office instruct seconded Police staff in Mitchell’s office to hide all e-mails about McSkimming from Mitchell and his staff?

It is also worth noting that Coster claims he informed Deputy Public Service Commissioner Heather Baggott of the McSkimming affair. She has explicitly denied this. Also both Mitchell and Hipkins have explicitly denied Coster informed them. The IPCA noted:

There is a significant conflict of accounts between Commissioner Coster and Ms Baggott. We prefer Ms Baggott’s account because of the lack of reference to the matter in the file note prepared by the legal adviser at the meeting on 24 March 2023. The purpose of that meeting was to discuss probity and integrity issues to inform advice to Ministers. It is hard to conceive that if the topic of the relationship was raised, it would not have been recorded.

So the witnesses and the file notes all contradict Coster on his claim Baggott knew. Also it seems Baggott wasn’t even working at the PSC when Coster claimed he briefed her.