Would you leak something you hadn't seen?

Alistair Carmichael, one of the Valorie-Restricted Three, authorised the leaking of the memo that claimed Nicola Sturgeon had told a French diplomat she'd rather see the Tories win the general election than Ed Miliband.

His role only came to light after an inquiry into the affair and he's been forced into doing some very public apologising. A BBC video shows him apologising and then claiming (my emphasis):

"I'd never actually seen this document and I did not hand it over but I was aware of what was happening - I could have stopped it."

This is extraordinary - he agreed to leak a document he hadn't even read! Not only that, he'd never even seen it!

So we are to believe this is what happened in the Scotland Office.

Euan Roddin, Carmichael's special advisor, gets up off his office chair and walks over to Crash-diet Carmichael's desk. Roddin says "I've got a killer of a memo that'll destroy both the SNP and Labour!"

Crash-diet Carmichael: "Cool! Leak it immediately."

Roddin: "Don't you want to see it first?"

Crash-diet Carmichael: "No, I won't bother."

Roddin: "But this is explosive! It could decide the outcome of the general election! I think you'd better read through it first and then decide."

Crash-diet Carmichael: "Wow, if it's that good, leak it immediately."

Roddin: "But, but, but... this will be the story of the election!"

Crash-diet Carmichael: "Even better! I won't bother reading it though. Just leak it."

Roddin: "You'll probably get asked questions about this - believe me, you need to read this memo!"

Crash-diet Carmichael: "No, just leak it. I totally believe you. I don't need to see the exact wording used or what other state information might be included in that memo. Just you go ahead and leak it, there's a good chap."

Stunned, Roddin walks back to his desk, sits down and then emails the memo to the Telegraph newspaper.

And the Lib Dems want to keep someone as diligent as him in their party and as one of their MPs? I think if Nick Clegg hadn't already resigned as leader of the Lib Dems, there'd be calls for him to do so. If the Lib Dems don't expel Crash-diet Carmichael from the party, I can't see them ever gaining the trust of the electorate again.

Of course, this all assumes Crash-diet Carmichael is not lying about not having read the memo...