Tennis Ball aftershock

In the Sunday Star-Times was the following note:

Social Development Minister David Benson-Pope's press secretary, Pete Coleman, has been disciplined for leaking information to the media. Coleman who was referred to Ministerial Services late last year after he leaked parts of a police report into claims Benson-Pope assaulted former student. Coleman then denied having been the source of the leak. Coleman declined to comment but the Sunday Star-Times understands he had been told he could publicly take the blame for the incident and keep his job, and that his job would be at risk if he did not do so

If the understanding is true, then a couple of more details can be added. Ministerial Services is not in the habit of telling people to accept responsibility or risk losing their job. The only person capable of making such a threat would be the Minister, David Benson-Pope, and all he has to do is tell Ministerial Services that he's lost confidence in his press secretary. A similar tactic was used by a green-eyed Clayton Cosgrove to get Parliamentary Services to dismiss his secretary after she started going out with a NZ First MP.