Lorraine Clifford-Lee to escape sanction for tweets posted before she entered politics

Fianna Fáil Senator and Fingal by-election candidate Lorraine Clifford-Lee will not be disciplined or demoted for tweets she posted before she entered politics.

The well-respected Senator is the favourite to win the by-election later this month and the party has issued a statement backing their candidate.

“The Party does not propose to discipline her, and she will remain our Party’s Spokesperson on Justice, Equality & Children in the Seanad. Lorraine is the Party’s candidate in the Dublin Fingal bye election and the Party will support her as she competes for a seat in the Dáil,” the party has said.

“Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee wrote these tweets in a personal capacity many years ago. It was before she was elected or became a member of the parliamentary party. It is Party policy for some time that each member is responsible for their own tweets. The Fianna Fáil Party does not condone these tweets and believe they were inappropriate."

However, Senator Clifford-Lee has acknowledged her mistakes, has apologised and deeply regrets them. She was elected to Seanad Éireann in 2016 and has supported many progressives policies since elected.

"She has also fully supported and conformed with the Party’s policies on inclusiveness and equality. We believe that she will be a very effective representative in Dáil Éireann and will help to address the issues that are impacting on people's lives every day such as Housing, Health, transport and crime,” the party spokeswoman added.