By James Chapman, Gerri Peev and Ryan Kisiel PUBLISHED: 18:27 EST, 26 February 2013 | UPDATED: 02:50 EST, 27 February 2013 Nick Clegg launched an extraordinary attack on the media yesterday for exposing the Lord Rennard scandal. The Deputy Prime Minister accused journalists investigating a cover-up of being ‘self-appointed detectives’. His ill-judged remarks shocked Tory and Labour MPs, who said he should focus on getting to the truth. Ill-judged: Nick Clegg (left) launched an attack on journalists for exposing the Lord Rennard scandal. Alison Smith (right), a former Lib Dem activist, went public with groping claims against Lord Rennard
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Ill-judged remarks have shocked Tory and Labour MPs
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Former Lib Dem activist Alison Smith said Clegg was wrong to attack the press
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Mail has learnt senior Lib Dems were attempting to silence whistleblowers
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A former party frontbencher said she sounded the alarm about Lord Rennard directly with Mr Clegg;
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David Cameron told him he must ‘get to the bottom’ of the allegations;
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Lord Rennard broke his silence to insist he was innocent and claim he had never been confronted with any complaints;
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A Lib Dem councillor claimed she had been molested and knew of nine other victims referred to as ‘Rennard’s red hot babes’;
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Lib Dem health minister Norman Lamb was drawn into the affair by an alleged victim;
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Party officials met  detectives who have been called in to assess whether criminal acts may have taken place.
Lord Rennard
Lord Rennard
Lord Rennard
Lord Rennard
Lord Rennard
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But a spokesman for @placeholder insisted: ‘In 27 years of working for the Liberal Democrats he received no complaint or allegation about his behaviour.