Tag Archives: Katherine Zappone

We may finally get to the bottom of this.

Probably not.

Meanwhile…

Ordure.

He wrote.

Coveney mandarins didn’t want ‘Princess Pushy’ to get UN job (Extra.ie)

This afternoon.

RollingNews

Senator Lynn Ruane with Katherine Zappone in 2015

ESB writes:

Why has Lynn Ruane not clarified any attendance at the Merrion event and refused to respond to questions on email and social media?

The TCD Senator has also deleted her Twitter account. Regardless of her position. No comment is not good optics IMO.

Anyone?

Yesterday: Trim The Sails

Pic via Twitter

This afternoon.

Trim, county Meath.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney held a press confernce at the Fine Gael think-in alongside Tanaiste Leo Varadkar to discuss the Sinn Féin motion of no-confidence in him over his handing of the Katherine Zappone UN appointment

Via Irish Times

Simon Coveney has said he did not act arrogantly in handling the “fiasco” of the Katherine Zappone appointment, ahead of a motion of no confidence in him tomorrow.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs said he was “embarrassed” by it, but stuck by the appointment of the former minister to a UN special envoy role in principle, while apologising for how it was handled.

“The first thing I’d say is that I’m embarrassed about this. This has been a fiasco since the issue was brought to Cabinet and approved by Cabinet,” he said, but returned to his defence of his motivation for the appointment, which he said was “appropriate”.

…“My role in this this has contributed to this becoming a political story that it didn’t need to become,” he said. “It is a real frustration and quite frankly an embarrassment for me to be the centre of attention for all the wrong reasons.”

Pull yourself together, man.

Coveney denies ‘arrogance’ in handling of Zappone appointment (Irish Times)

Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews

Samantha Power, Dublin-born US government official and diplomat

 

This afternoon.

Social Democrat TD questions Simon Coveney during an Oireacthas committee hearing on Katherine Zappone’s botched appointment to the UN.

Samantha Power?

Earlier: Explain Yourself

RollingNews

This morning.

During an Oireacthas committee hearing on Katherine Zappones’ appontment to the UN…

…Fianna Fail TD Barry Cowen asked the minister whether he is now saying that when Ms Zappone text him [in March] to say she was delighted with the offer – that the “offer” was a concept, which she interpreted as a job offer. He asked was that correct?

Mr Coveney agreed it was correct.

He said that it would have been helpful if he had responded to her text to clarify that it was not a job offer at that stage, it was simply a concept that may materialise later.

Mr Cowen asked the minister whether he acknowledged that it appeared from the documents released yesterday that Ms Zappone played a part in defining the specifications for the job in the intervening period, to which the minister said: “No.”

Earlier…

This morning.

Simon Coveney is addressing the joint Oireachtas committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence over the appointment of Katherine Zappone as a UN free speech envoy.

Watch live here

Yesterday evening: Well Now

This afternoon.

Via RTÉ:

Katherine Zappone was told of her impending appointment to a UN role by the Foreign Affairs Minister more than four months before the matter was agreed by Cabinet.

Documents released by the Department of Foreign Affairs show that Ms Zappone thanked Simon Coveney for “this incredible opportunity” on 4 March.

The WhatsApp message details how the former minister asked how long the appointment would be for and what the next steps were.

“Thank you again so much Simon – especially when you have so much on your plate. I spoke with Paschal too yesterday,” Ms Zappone wrote.

Documents here

Zappone told of UN role more than four months before Cabinet agreement (RTE)

RollingNews

Leo Varadkar and Katherine Zappone

Meanwhile…

Meanwhile…

Fianna Fáil TD for Offaly and Foreign Affairs committee member Barry Cowen has said the Taoiseach needs to address the issue regarding the “content” of the texts shared yesterday by Leo Varadkar over a UN role for former minister Katherine Zappone.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, he said that while he accepts Micheál Martin has said that no texts should be deleted if it contains Government business, he believes he needs to “acknowledge” the content of those texts.

He said he did not allude to the “startling information” within the texts, “the amount of knowledge that was known by the parties involved” and that a contract and agreement had been reached with Ms Zappone while no one else was aware of it.

Taoiseach should ‘acknowledge’ content of Varadkar texts (RTÉ)

Yesterday: From The Piglet

RollingNews

 

From top Piglet wine bar, Dublin and from left, Simon Coveney, Leo Varadkar and Katherine Zappone

Gulp.

This afternoon.

More as we get it.

Oink

Earlier: Anchor Aweigh