Louise Burne: If Labour knew of the banana skin around Jim Gavin, how can Fianna Fáil claim innocence?

Taoiseach Micheál Martin with other senior Fianna Fáil members, including Jack Chambers, announcing Jim Gavin as the party's presidential election candidate in September. Picture: Niall Carson/PA

“Did you hear about Jim Gavin and a tenant?” a Labour member whispered.

It was Friday, September 5, and Fianna Fáil’s presidential selection vote between Mr Gavin and Cork MEP Billy Kelleher the following Tuesday was the hot topic in all political circles.

At the two-day Labour think-in in Tipperary, the conversation focused on Mr Gavin’s rumoured tenant woes.

The exact issue was up for debate. Had a complaint been lodged with the Residential Tenancies Board? A problem with a deposit not returned?

It was not clear, but people in Labour were insistent that there was a problem. How right they were.

If the Labour Party knew there was a potential banana skin lurking, how can Fianna Fáil claim innocence?

On the evening of September 5, a Fianna Fáil member rang this reporter. The TD had not heard the rumour about the tenant, but they proffered another allegation about Mr Gavin. Like all nuggets of gossip, it was investigated. It turned out to be untrue, and the topic was later widely discussed online as part of what the Gavin campaign branded a "smear campaign".

But it was looked into. Now, Fianna Fáil must explain how it looked into rumours it heard.

Deirdre Gillane, the Taoiseach’s chief of staff and loyalist soldier, also received a phone call about Mr Gavin on September 5. Fianna Fáil has branded this phone call “non-specific” and “speculative”. It is understood that there were concerns raised about Mr Gavin.

Lack of curiosity?

On September 8, a member of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party messaged deputy leader Jack Chambers. They had been contacted by someone known to Mr Gavin, who suggested he may not have repaid a tenant’s deposit.

The real issue, as we now know, was that Mr Gavin had not repaid €3,300 in rent overpayments.

It appears that this issue was not directly raised to Fianna Fáil until much later. But that does not excuse the fact that Fianna Fáil should have been able to figure it out itself.

While senior figures in Fianna Fáil can say they were made aware of an issue, but not the actual issue, how hard did they try to get to the bottom of it all?

Was it simply put to Jim Gavin, he denied any problem, and everyone moved on? Was there any digging beneath the surface?

Was nobody in Fianna Fáil HQ inquisitive enough or bothered enough to ask more than the simple questions?

There is a fear amongst TDs that leadership will argue their way out of this mess by suggesting that the exact issue was not flagged until far later in the election cycle.

Is the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party ready to accept laziness and a lack of curiosity?

There are clearly more questions to be asked once the review is published. However, if the last few months are anything to go by, Fianna Fáil is not always great at asking questions.