Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Taoiseach on surviving a diplomatic balancing act at the White House last Wednesday. I am sure he will agree the decision to invite a thug in a suit on our actual national day to what in effect was a rapists' convention was a gross insult to the people of Ireland and especially to the women of Ireland. In one context, we can shrug it off but at another level, this represents a deliberate if not pathetic attempt to interfere in our electoral processes given that said individual has on multiple occasions indicated he wishes to run for the Presidency. That Administration may not understand our nomination process but it wanted to send a message nonetheless. Is there a protocol for calling out such blatant interference? If there is not, perhaps it is time we developed one.

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