Former TD makes complaint about abuse of Dáil privilege

Sinn Féin finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty's statement was wholly inaccurate.

A former TD has made a complaint about abuse of Dáil privilege over an erroneous claim that he had sued the media for libel.

Former Fianna Fáil TD for Kildare north Frank O’Rourke was named by Sinn Féin finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty during Leaders’ Questions in the Dáil as one of several politicians who had sued for libel.

The statement from Mr Doherty was wholly inaccurate.

The issue arose in an exchange between Mr Doherty and Micheál Martin when the Tánaiste referenced the high number of Sinn Féin politicians who have sued media outlets in recent years.

Mr Martin quoted a letter from an international group of bodies concerned with freedom of the press amid claims Sinn Féin’s actions are having “a chilling effect on democracy”.

Mr Doherty replied that a number of former Fianna Fáil politicians had sued the media, adding: “What about Frank O’Rourke who is suing the media?”

Mr Doherty named three other former politicians and then said: “That is just me Googling in the last five minutes, so do not start this nonsense.”

In a complaint to the clerk of the Dáil, Mr O’Rourke said: “This is completely inaccurate and untrue. 

"I want this to be withdrawn from the Dáil record together with an apology.”

At the last general election, Mr O’Rourke had been the subject of a social media misinformation campaign that disseminated false and damaging claims about his private life. 

He subsequently took an action against Facebook and Twitter to identify the holders of the accounts from which the damaging claims emanated.

A spokesperson for Sinn Féin said Mr Doherty was quoting an Irish Examiner article. The article actually referenced Frank O’Rourke’s action against Twitter and Facebook over hosting the damaging posts from unidentified sources and had nothing to do with the media as the term is used. 

“He (Doherty) called out Micheál Martin for his hypocrisy in attempting to suggest that only Sinn Féin representatives have sought to vindicate their good names through legal actions,” the spokesperson said.