The application for the search warrant served on the Conservatives this week was released this afternoon by the party itself but not to Canwest News Service, CBC, Maclean's and The Canadian Press. CTV, La Presse and The Toronto Star got their own private briefings with party brass but when I and those organizations showed up at the hotel where the briefings were taking place, hotel staff asked us to leave. Here's an excerpt from the story I just filed:

Doug Finley, the party's political operations director, Ryan Sparrow, its spokesman, and some party lawyers gave the warrant and supporting affidavits to selected media outlets along with a briefing on the matter.

Canwest News Service, The Canadian Press, Maclean's magazine and the English and French language news services of CBC were among those news organizations that were not invited to those briefings.

Indeed, reporters from those organizations were asked to leave the downtown Ottawa hotel where representatives from The Toronto Star, La Presse, and CTV were being briefed by Finley, Sparrow and others. Other media organizations may also have received a private briefing.