'Reprehensible' to suggest Fianna Fáil withheld information about Jim Gavin, says Micheál Martin
Micheál Martin said he does not believe he needs to put down a motion of confidence in himself as anger continues to grow in Fianna Fáil. Picture: Leah Farrell/© RollingNews.ie
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has stated that it is “reprehensible” to suggest that Fianna Fáil withheld any information from its politicians about issues between Jim Gavin and a tenant.
In his first interview since the publication of a report into the party’s calamitous presidential election on Tuesday, Mr Martin said that Mr Gavin was insistent he never had a journalist as a tenant.
As he backed his leadership, Mr Martin said he does not believe he needs to put down a motion of confidence in himself as anger continues to grow in Fianna Fáil. However, he did admit the party got things wrong.
Mr Gavin withdrew from the election in October after failing to inform the party about a previous dispute with a tenant to whom he failed to return rent overpayments worth €3,300 in 2008. The review says that Mr Gavin was asked on five occasions about the issue, but never gave full accounts.
The report says that as part of ongoing due diligence, Mr Gavin was asked on September 5 and September 8 about a reference to a dispute with a tenant. The reference was in a telephone call from a journalist to Micheál Martin’s top adviser, Deirdre Gillane, on September 5, and an email on September 8 received by Fianna Fáil’s press office.
Speaking to RTÉ’s , the Taoiseach said that the election took Mr Gavin out of his “comfort zone” but stated that the pressure of a presidential campaign was explained to him.
“Look, we got it wrong, and I've taken full responsibility for that, and I said that to the party membership,” Mr Martin said.
The Taoiseach confirmed that he only met Mr Gavin once to talk to him about the presidency, but argued that he had met him several times beforehand, including during his work on the North East Inner-City Taskforce and the Citizens’ Assembly.
“I actually did a lot of informal sounding out of people who'd worked with him, who'd been on groups with him,” he said.
“[I] got very little negative feedback about Jim Gavin. It was all very positive about his capabilities, competence, and a person who got things done. But didn't work out.”
Mr Martin stated that Deirdre Gillane, his chief of staff, received a phone call from a journalist asking "about a tenant dispute" on September 5.
She then raised this with Fianna Fáil’s general secretary Sean Dorgan. Mr Martin denied that Ms Gillane was told of the exact issue involving the €3,300 overpayments.
“There was an attempt made to suggest that we withheld information from the parliamentary party before the selection,” the Taoiseach said.
“That's reprehensible. It's wrong, it's inconceivable, and it didn't happen.” Mr Martin said: “This query came in. It was put to Jim Gavin, and Jim Gavin said, ‘No, there is no issue’.
“He actually said he never had a journalist as a tenant. The report makes it clear that he was asked about this on several occasions and he had no recollection of it.”
The Taoiseach stated that the tenant “rumour” was one of multiple rumours being circulated at the time, arguing that other rumours turned out to be untrue.
When asked if he would put down a motion of confidence in himself, the Taoiseach said this was not necessary.
He continued: “I don’t need to. Don't believe I need to at all.
“I've had a substantial engagement with TDs and senators now over the last two months. This was a major, major setback. It was a devastating outcome for the party.
“I didn't want this, and I've made it very clear I take full responsibility. I'm sorry for what happened.”
Mr Martin denied that it was “extraordinary” that no polling was done before Mr Gavin was selected as a candidate.
He said that other prospective candidates were polled and did not perform well.
"We didn't have other candidates who had a chance," Mr Martin said.
“The immediate polling after the nomination of Jim Gavin was positive, actually quite positive.
“He was there or thereabouts with the other candidates that were polled at that time, and higher than any other Fianna Fáil prospect, by the way, higher than any other Fianna Fáil prospect at that time when he was polled in the immediate poll in September.”
He acknowledged that the way the party selects candidates needs to change, but argued that the rules as they stand state that anyone who wanted to contest a selection convention needed to have sufficient support.
The Taoiseach also stated that Billy Kelleher, who did contest the selection convention, indicated to him on August 14 that he “certainly wasn’t going to be a candidate”.
“That was what I took from that,” Mr Martin said.
“Billy said I took the wrong conclusion from that. Fair enough, we all have different perspectives. But the WhatsApp was very clear at the time.
“I got no indication from Billy that he wanted to be a candidate until around the 27 [of August].”
He also argued that it would have been “helpful” if Mr Kelleher had called him.
Mr Martin said he was “bounced” into having a selection convention and denied putting any pressure on the party to back Mr Gavin.
Speaking later on Newstalk, the Taoiseach said he had “made attempts” to speak to Mr Gavin in recent weeks, but had been unable to reach him.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
