Thread by @TrendPolCa

PM @MarkJCarney just handed day-to-day control of his office to an American political operative who worked for Hillary Clinton and Michael Bloomberg.

Her title didn't exist until this week, and even the Globe and Mail can't fully explain how she got here. 🧵👇 (1/6)

Her name is Maia Johnson. She surfaced in Canadian politics last year, coming in from New York City to volunteer on Carney's leadership campaign.

By this year she was inside the PMO as his senior adviser on Canada-U.S. relations. (2/6)

Now Carney has made her chief operating officer, a corporate title never before used in the Prime Minister's Office.

The chief of staff runs the political agenda. Johnson runs the machine itself, making sure the day-to-day work of the government happens as desired. (3/6)

The Globe pieced together what it could about her. She is cited in news stories as running political strategy and logistics for Democrats, including Clinton, and is connected to Bloomberg's now-defunct strategy firm, Hawkfish.

Bloomberg co-chaired Carney's UN climate finance alliance, which sources say is where the two connected. (4/6)

In June, the ethics commissioner fined her for filing her required public disclosures late. Her disclosure statement is still listed as in progress.

The Globe asked Johnson directly how she came to work in Canadian politics. She did not reply, and the PMO declined to comment. (5/6)

Her promotion comes as Carney enters year two, under pressure to land a U.S. trade deal and steady a shaky economy.

The person now keeping his government running is one whose path to the job nobody in Ottawa can fully explain — The Globe and Mail (6/6)

Full article: theglobeandmail.com/politics/artic…