Winston Peters says he expects his name to be cleared by evidence that will be presented to the privileges committee this morning.
His lawyer, Brian Henry, has been called for a second time to explain the circumstances surrounding the $100,000 donation from billionaire Owen Glenn.
It was paid to Mr Henry to cover legal fees for the work he had done for Mr Peters on an electoral petition after the 2005 election, and an email from the lawyer to Mr Glenn is central to the question of whether Mr Peters asked for the money.
The New Zealand First leader has denied asking for it, but Mr Glenn has told the committee he did make the request and minutes after he told Mr Peters he would pay the money he received an email from Mr Henry giving bank account details.
The emails referred to a conversation with "my client", which was taken to mean Mr Peters.
But Mr Henry has said he was not referring to Mr Peters, and the identity of the client has not been disclosed.
Maori TV last night broadcast an interview with Mr Peters, recorded last Friday, in which Mr Peters was asked: "Let's talk about Brian Henry and what he's going to say on Tuesday. Are you confident your name will be cleared in front of the privileges committee on Tuesday?"
Mr Peters: "Before any fair-minded person, looking at the chronological evidence, and the contrasting evidence, yes I am."
Spare my cynicism, but haven't we heard this kind of hyperbole from Peters and his entourage over a long period of time? As WhaleOil's Winston Minute Meter shows it is, as I type this, 17 days, 16 hours and 56 minutes (and counting!) since Peters said it could all be cleared up in about three minutes. And it's only a day less since Peter Williams QC told all and sundry that the evidence he'd provided to the Serious Fraud Office would enable the SFO to clear NZ First in five minutes.
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