Katherine Zappone in this morning’s Irish Daily Mirror
Hello you.
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Katherine Zappone in this morning’s Irish Daily Mirror
Hello you.
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State’s top civil servant Martin Fraser to answer questions on Katherine Zappone appointment from TDs and senators
appearance, which may take place as early as next week, is likely to drag the controversy into second month.#Zapponyism #HowIrelandWorks https://t.co/1SndKEYafB
— Mick Caul 😷 (@caulmick) September 21, 2021
We may finally get to the bottom of this.
Probably not.
Meanwhile…
“The last thing senior diplomats wanted ‘was some LGBT version of Angela Lansbury in Murder She Wrote wandering around with a badge poking her nose in’.” 🤣🤣
Coveney Mandarins Didn’t Want ‘Princess Pushy’ To Get UN Job https://t.co/HCfXuh7biD
— Peter (@pbmosligo) September 21, 2021
Ordure.
He wrote.
Coveney mandarins didn’t want ‘Princess Pushy’ to get UN job (Extra.ie)
NEW: In an email, Katherine Zappone “respectfully” declines to appear before the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee to discuss her ill-fated UN envoy appointment
Here’s her brief message to the committee clerk 👇 pic.twitter.com/LTC4bGB7er
— Hugh O’Connell (@oconnellhugh) September 20, 2021
This afternoon.
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
Coveney denies ‘arrogance’ in handling of Zappone appointment https://t.co/Id65pQtNvw via @IrishTimesPol
— Irish Times Politics (@IrishTimesPol) September 14, 2021
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)
Samantha Power, Dublin-born US government official and diplomat
In the case of Katherine Zappone, we know she contacted Pascal Donohue, Leo Varadkar, Ireland’s Ambassador to UN, & yourself and then asked for an introduction to Samantha Power.
How do you believe that not to be lobbying ? @GaryGannonTD #MerrionGatehttps://t.co/IKl8ADtbTy pic.twitter.com/5JchAnYJeY
— Mick Caul 😷 (@caulmick) September 7, 2021
This afternoon.
Social Democrat TD questions Simon Coveney during an Oireacthas committee hearing on Katherine Zappone’s botched appointment to the UN.
Earlier: Explain Yourself
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…
‘Due to the sloppiness of some of my answers to your legitimate questions last week, we’re back here again in order to, I hope, bring clarity to outstanding issues once and for all’ @simoncoveney tells Oireachtas committee examining envoy appointment | https://t.co/SHMhNjOh48 pic.twitter.com/xwvFKQfQpq
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) September 7, 2021
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)
Leo Varadkar and Katherine Zappone
New statement from the Tanaiste on his text messages and freedom of information requests: pic.twitter.com/fz5gDIBftS
— Philip Ryan (@Philip_Ryan) September 2, 2021
Meanwhile…
Interestingly, the Tánaiste’s department previously responded to an FOI request from myself and clearly stated there was no records of any texts between Leo Varadkar and Katherine Zappone about the Merrion event, which we now know was not the case pic.twitter.com/BIilYEQqHw
— Jack Power (@jackpowerIT) September 1, 2021
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
From top Piglet wine bar, Dublin and from left, Simon Coveney, Leo Varadkar and Katherine Zappone
The messages confirm that a contract for her appointment was being finalised on the very day of her Merrion Hotel reception, a week before being brought to Cabinet for approval.
(Coveney yesterday argued at an Oireachtas committee that Cabinet approval wasn’t strictly needed.)
— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) September 1, 2021
Gulp.
This afternoon.
More as we get it.
Oink
Earlier: Anchor Aweigh