Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In fact, it was worse than that because what the Tánaiste did do was continue to express unwavering confidence in the then Garda Commissioner O'Sullivan after the fact. She also continued to parrot this line that the whistleblower would enjoy protection from the Government.

It was initially claimed by An Taoiseach, presumably after discussions with her, that the Tánaiste had no knowledge of the strategy prior to Sergeant McCabe's cross examination. That is not true. The Tánaiste knew three days in advance and yet she insisted, and allowed the Taoiseach to insist, that she did not know. Furthermore, she failed to explain how this email came to light only following a parliamentary question. She has not clarified how it did not show up in the initial O'Neill scoping exercise or the discovery for the Charlton tribunal. Her refusal to provide plausible answers has placed her at the centre of this scandal. The Tánaiste may think that she will weather this storm, that she will ride it out but she will not because the terrible vista of a conspiracy to malign a good man, to smear him as a sex abuser in order to shut him up is not some minor political episode that can be simply brushed away.

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