Varadkar’s rivals should ‘beware a wounded leader’
Supporters backing Tánaiste after his Garda interview
LEO Varadkar’s supporters warned yesterday that the Tánaiste has ‘a very long memory’ if anyone plans to take advantage of his current legal difficulties.
The supporters were commenting on the revelation that Mr Varadkar has been questioned by gardaí over the leaking of a deal with the Irish Medical Organisation.
In what was described as a major upscaling of the investigation, detectives also took possession of Mr Varadkar’s mobile phone. The issue has caused serious unease within Fine Gael, especially amongst grassroots members.
This was recently vocalised by former TD Kate O’Connell who warned: ‘When you have the leader of the party subject to a criminal investigation, it just wouldn’t sit well, in my view, with the membership of the party.’
Significantly, Ms O’Connell, who is politically close to Mr Varadkar’s former leadership rival Simon Coveney, also expressed concern over ‘when Leo is going to start delivering for Fine Gael’.
In an indication of the sensitivity of the issue senior figures were furious with one noting: ‘This is the politics of utter self-indulgence. This is why Kate is where
‘This is why Kate is where she is’
she is. In permanent exile.’ They added: ‘Anyone else who wants can join her there.’
Other unsympathetic sources noted though: ‘It was a dry run as a stalking horse, and the next time will be for real.’
Mr Varadkar, who met the gardaí by appointment, was questioned for several hours on Friday, April 9 by detectives from the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
A spokesperson for Mr Varadkar said: ‘The Tánaiste met the gardaí voluntarily, made a full statement and answered all questions.’
They added: ‘The Tánaiste cannot say anything further until the investigation is complete. He has made a full account to the Dáil on this matter and looks forward to it being concluded.’
The recipient of the leak, Dr Maitiú Ó Tuathail, who was the head of the rival National Association of General Practitioners at the time has also been interviewed. It is believed the Garda inquiries prioritised the exact nature of his friendship and his history with Mr Varadkar, as well as specifics about how the Tánaiste leaked the GP contract to him.
Former health minister Simon Harris provided gardaí with a statement in February of this year. There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Dr Ó Tuathail or Mr Harris.
One senior figure within Fine Gael warned: ‘We are entering the endgame now, obviously the gardaí are coming to the end of their investigation.’ It would be wise, they added ‘for people to be quiet as church mice on this. The leader is very uneasy and unhappy. He genuinely has no idea as to why this has taken this route.’
But they added: ‘It is a case of beware the wounded leader. Leo is making a list and if you are not on the loyalists’ wing, if he survives you could in the next reshuffle get something that’s nasty rather than nice.’
The source added that the Tánaiste ‘feels the whole thing with the Leo the Leak stuff in particular, has done him grave damage.’
The Tánaiste will have to wait for another while before he learns his fate. A file will be forwarded to
‘Error of judgment’
the Director of Public Prosecutions who will make a final decision on whether or not Mr Varadkar faces charges.
Gardaí are examining whether the leak is a breach of the Official Secrets Act.
Mr Varadkar survived a Dáil motion of no confidence tabled by Sinn Féin last November on foot of the controversy.
At that point, he acknowledged that what he did was ‘not best practice’ and was an ‘error of judgment’.
Mr Varadkar told the Dáil: ‘There was nothing selfish, corrupt, dishonest or illegal in what I did.’