Nigel Wright aims to emerge from Mike Duffy trial with reputation intact

As he has doneso many times before, Nigel Wright took to the streets of Ottawa early this past Monday morning.

Running his daily 20 kilometres, back in the city where he dedicated some of his lifethe city heleft when it was revealed he had given suspended Senator Mike Duffy$90,000 to pay off his allegedly fraudulent expense claims.

Wright will testifyWednesdayin Duffy's criminal trial in Ottawa as a Crown witness.

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Sources tell CBC News that theformer chief ofstaff for Prime MinisterStephen Harperis not stressed about his testimony. Wright has been preparing with lawyers over the past days, and while he will acknowledge in his testimony that he made amistake, his goal is to come out of the courtroom with his reputation intact.

That may prove difficult.

Wright is a key figure in the Crown's case against Duffy and the chargeof bribery. Prosecutors have suggested Duffy was the "instigator" of the deal. Butgiven that Wright co-operated extensively with the RCMP by handing over hundreds of emails and speaking to police at length, the first days of questioning by the Crown may not be as much of a challenge.

But his testimony is central to their case. It was Wright, after all, who provided the RCMP withhundreds of emails detailinghow theDuffy spending scandalwas being managed and contained inside the Prime Minister's Office. It was also Wright who provided the RCMP with Duffy's personal diaries, which allowed investigators to piece together key details about where Duffy was when he was claiming housing and living expenses.

'A political problem'

Wright will face tougher questions when Duffy's lawyerDonald Bayne steps up to the plate.

Bayne telegraphed in his opening statement how he planned to depict Wright as the leader of a "small group,"directing "a concerted strategy to deal with a political problem."

Bayne will try to show that Duffy was forced to "capitulate to the pressure of the small group."

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Thecross-examination is expected to take days. And if Bayne'sprevious tactics are any indication, it will be thorough and demanding.

And as he has done in the past, Bayne will use every opportunity to drag politics into the courtroom.

That possibility should worry the Conservatives.

Emailsalready released by the RCMPshow howdeeply concerned the Prime Minister's Office was with the potential fallout from the Duffy investigation.

There were days of talks and negotiations around how to make Duffy repay the money.

At one point, Wright was close to signing off on a deal that would have had the Conservative Party Fund pay for Duffy's expenses, then believed to be $32,000.

Wright emailedthe PMOlawyer, Benjamin Perrin, writing, "I do want to speak to the PM before everything is considered final." An hour later, he followedup with another email, "We are good to go from the PM."

That phrase has, to this day, never been fully explained. What was it exactlythat Wright took to the prime minister? And what did Harper then approve as an acceptable solution?

Harper has saidhe was not aware that Wright subsequently paid for Duffy's expenses when the Conservative Party refused to pay the larger tab. But Wright may well be asked, at what point did he choose to stop telling Harper any further details?

These are all pointsthat Wright could clarify, possibly revealingother issues Harper will have to face during an election campaign.

The Conservatives have said they believe the damage by Duffy has been done.

They are about to find out if they are right.