[The SNP is facing fresh claims that senior
party figures conspired against its former
leader Alex Salmond.
One of its own MPs has told Sky News
that high-ranking members
of the party shared dozens
of messages about the former
first minister in a social media group chat,
calling themselves the "Vietnam" group.
In text exchanges before last year's
criminal trial of Mr Salmond,
which resulted in his acquittal,
it's claimed they discussed the reluctance
of an alleged victim to give evidence
and efforts they could take to give her encouragement.
The new claims are made by Kenny MacAskill,
the SNP MP for East Lothian and Scotland's
former justice secretary.
He has told Sky News that content
of the digital communications has long
been a subject of open discussion within
SNP circles, and he has backed calls for
Scotland's Crown Office to release
the text messages as written proof.
Of the unpublished messages,
Mr MacAskill told Sky News:
"There has been long-standing talk in SNP circles
about WhatsApp and text messages
and I've been in correspondence
with the Crown (office) about it.
There's a WhatsApp group that
was called the 'Vietnam' group that i
ncluded SNP staffers and even members of government."]
https://news.sky.com/story/snp-faces...lmond-12201748
Stinking Corruption in the SNP.
TS.