He said, she said: Cabinet contradictions

Taoiseach Enda Kenny on Friday:

A spokesman for

Mr Kenny

said he first became aware of the false allegations against Garda whistleblower Sgt Maurice McCabe on Thursday evening when RTÉ’s

Prime Time

Miriam Lord: Kenny and Fitzgerald are put on the rack

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Kenny ‘gave wrong information’ about Zappone meeting

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Zappone may have been ‘overly cautious’ about Tusla file

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programme was aired.

Mr Kenny at 1pm on Sunday:

“Minister Zappone did tell me she intended to meet with Sgt McCabe in a private capacity and that’s all I knew.

“I said to her, ‘If you do have a meeting make sure that you have a thorough account of it.’ So when we had our meeting on Tuesday, I wouldn’t have been aware of any of the details of her discussions with [Sgt McCabe].”

Minister for Children Katherine Zappone on Monday:

“I did not go into the detail of any of the allegations that I was aware of but I did indicate to him [Mr Kenny, on Tuesday] that that was the nature of the conversation.”

Spokesman for Mr Kenny on Monday:

“As Minister Zappone confirmed today, she did not divulge any of the details of these very serious issues to the Taoiseach or to anyone else in Government. This was absolutely the correct course of action.”

Taoiseach on Tuesday at 2.17pm:

“And I might say mea culpa here, because I did say, and I’m guilty here of not giving accurate information.

“I understood from thinking myself that she had asked me about meeting Sgt McCabe in the first place.

“It actually was her office that consulted with my officials who told me.

“She is very clear that she did not tell me that she intended to meet Sgt McCabe. She did tell her official to tell my office, so I regret that.”

Taoiseach on Tuesday at 2.32pm:

“The Minister did not refer to any of the details of the discussion with the McCabes, the existence of a file in Tusla or the information contained in that file. It is not true to say that I had any information about the existence of that prior to the Cabinet meeting in Government Buildings.”

Ms Zappone on Tuesday:

“I also spoke with the Taoiseach prior to the Cabinet meeting last week. Just to be clear, this was after my meeting with the McCabes.

“I told him that I had met with the McCabes, that we had discussed false allegations of sexual abuse made against Sgt McCabe to Tusla.

“The Taoiseach said that this would be covered by the Commission of Investigation.

“I didn’t go into the detail of any of the allegations that I was aware of but I did indicate to him that that was the nature of the conversation.”