Donohoe: I was invited to Zappone party... but I was away
PASCHAL Donohoe has confirmed he was invited to Katherine Zappone’s garden party at the Merrion Hotel – but refused to reveal when he received the invitation and when he declined it.
The Finance Minister – the first member of Cabinet to hold a press conference since the scandal was unearthed 12 days ago – insisted he didn’t give Ms Zappone’s invitation ‘any consideration’ as he was out of the country at the time.
Mr Donohoe said he ‘unequivocally and absolutely’ supported Leo Varadkar after the Tánaiste attended the event hosted by the former children’s minister at the five-star Dublin hotel on July 21.
‘I absolutely accept the explanations
‘I accept his explanation’
he has given,’ he told reporters yesterday. The Fine Gael TD, who is president of the Eurogroup of Eurozone finance ministers, was in Cyprus and Greece for meetings at the time of the event of Ms Zappone’s event.
Mr Donohoe said he couldn’t give an answer to a ‘hypothetical from the past’ when questioned on whether he would have gone to the party if I had been able to make it.
However, he said he would have ‘asked questions’ about whether it was in line with Covid-19 restrictions. ‘I was invited but I didn’t give the invitation any consideration because I knew the dates of the events. I couldn’t actually make it. I would expect if I could have, I would have asked questions in terms of public health guidance and so on,’ he said. When asked by the Irish Daily Mail last night when Mr Donohoe received the invite and when he declined it, a spokesperson for the Department of Finance failed to answer.
‘As the minister stated earlier today, he was invited by Katherine Zappone to the event and was unable to attend as he was travelling on Government business,’ the spokesperson responded.
Around 50 guests attended the party at the Merrion, with the Government confirming afterwards that regulations allow for organised outdoor events – including social events – of up to 200 people after seeking advice from the Attorney General. The party sparked a backlash from the hospitality sector and public as it was at odds with guidelines set out by Fáilte Ireland at the time.
The Finance Minister also denied that the precedent set by the Government by turning to the Attorney General for clarification was inappropriate. ‘The Attorneys General are independent law officers, they make a decision regarding statements they issue and guidance that the Government issues, so I don’t
believe any precedent has been set here that is in any way inappropriate for the future,’ he said.
When asked if he could explain the difference between Mr Varadkar’s actions in attending Ms Zappone’s event and those who were embroiled in the Golfgate scandal last year, Mr Donohoe responded: ‘At this event and the event a year ago, there was a difference between the Government’s regulations and the guidance that was issued by Fáilte Ireland. We have now aligned that to resolve and close the gap between the regulations and the Fáilte Ireland guidelines.
‘The Tánaiste has apologised for his attendance at the event.’
Mr Donohoe also admitted he did not know if Mr Varadkar and Simon Coveney had personally apologised to Taoiseach Micheál Martin for the circumstances around Ms Zappone’s appointment as UN special envoy for freedom of expression and speech – a role she ultimately turned down.
While the Taoiseach and several Fianna Fáil ministers have backed Mr Varadkar in recent days, the party’s youth wing yesterday said that the Tánaiste needs to resign.
In a statement shared on its Facebook page, Ógra Fianna Fáil said it cannot ‘stand by’ Mr Varadkar after his attendance at the Merrion Hotel party, adding that it believes it would be ‘a mistake that a man with this kind of temperament be made Taoiseach’ again in December 2022.
‘Last year, Mr. Varadkar was especially outspoken on the alleged impropriety of fellow politicians breaking guidelines in Clifden, County Galway. Why is such a gross double standard allowed in cases where Mr Varadkar has a personal interest?’ the statement read.
‘Ógra Fianna Fáil cannot reconcile the negligence of Mr Varadkar with the very important role he holds in government. The Tánaiste’s actions have undermined the integrity of our institutions at a time when trust in public health advice is a matter of life and death.’
Last night, the Mail contacted each Government department to ask if their minister had attended or been invited to the event on July 21.
All departments responded – aside from Stephen Donnelly’s Department of Health – confirming that their minister had not attended Ms Zappone’s event.
Ógra FF calls for Varadkar to quit