The Appearance of Impropriety

From the Hamilton Spectator (courtesy of Bourque) :

The Facts: Valeri purchased the next-door property on April 29 for $225,000 from Leonard Davis, who had lived there for 50 years with his family... Three months later, Valeri sold the property for $500,000 to John Ng, son of Joe Ng, whose Hamilton-based engineering company has been a longtime supporter of the Liberals at the federal and provincial levels.

Valeri's Spin: “In fact, it was a real estate transaction like any other,” Valeri added. “I guess people will read into it what they want to read into it but I complied with all of the requirements and have done so in a very transparent manner.”

The Question: Valeri states in the article, “My concern was obviously compliance with the Ethics Commissioner,” but is there not a higher standard to be considered here for those in the public eye? Is Valeri blind to the horrific optics of such a transaction?

I won't speculate further - but just pause to note, as Valeri says, to read into it what you want. Not pretty.