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Updated 10.55am
FINE GAEL TD Michelle Mulherin has confirmed that she made calls from Leinster House to an individual in Kenya, but has denied they were personal.
Mulherin has spoken publicly after it was reported last week that a TD or Senator had made over €2,000 of calls to a mobile phone number in Kenya between 2011 and 2013.
The calls were consistently the most expensive made from Leinster House.
Speaking to Today with Seán O’Rourke, the Mayo TD confirmed the calls were made to an individual by the name of Danson Kole who she said had been “maligned and defamed” in the media.
“Yes, I made some calls to Africa. None of them were personal. Indeed for the most part they pertained to a third party, who is a private citizen, who had been maligned and defamed in a newspaper article because of association with me and potential legal action arising there from.”
She later added: “I had communications with Dan over a period of time and as I say he’s somebody that I would have dealings with in relation to political situations.”
The RTÉ journalist who broke the phonecalls story, Ken Foxe, has pointed out on Twitter that many of the calls made to Kenya pre-date the newspaper article in question:
Mulherin said she was not in a position to explain any of the figures as “all of this is coming at me from the media”. She said she has written to the Ceann Comhairle seeking that he “get to the bottom of it”.
“I have never been contacted by the Oireachtas or anybody in Leinster House in relation to any problem with phonecalls,” she said.
She said the calls were made as part of her work as a politician and repeatedly insisted they were not of a personal nature.
“I maintain the manner in which I used the phone was within the standard way, except it just happened to be somebody who was in Kenya,” she said.
Mulherin added that she would “absolutely no problem making a refund if that’s what’s required”.
“I didn’t act outside the jurisdiction of what I am allowed to do as part of my job as a politician,” she said.
Mulherin expressed concerns that the emergence of this story was “a gamechanger” as elected politicians now run the risk of having their communications with potential whistleblowers being compromised.
She said this made it “a bigger issue than Michelle Mulherin”.
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So we’ve now entered the “it’s not all Muslims, it’s all religions”, “the back lash against Muslims”, “growth in islamophobia” phase of media reporting.
No. In the Real world the vast majority of people are well aware its not all muslims. Its the people like yourself who live in a hate filled bigoted existence that thinks that. The Daily Mail would probably suit your beliefs better. Must admit though The Journal is getting very close to Daily Mail levels of xenophobia.
What happens to the books when there finished, do they go to the families or something
They are sent to Clonskeagh for processing.
Not 1% funny
Fred…very funny…
Thanks Joachin. I should of had a bet with you Rod, you would have lost a few dinar … sorry Euros.
Lighten up will ye, and don’t come back with all the P.C. crap.
Will he also be signing a book of condolences for the 44 killed in the ISIS attack in Lebanon the day before the Paris attack? Or do we just care less for these sub-humans ?
That’s not fair, the French are our neighbours and our friends, we share a way of life, it’s proper order that we stand in solidarity with them during their hour of need.
We share a way of life so French lives are more important that Lebanese lives?
I really don’t get that.
Of course Lebanese lives matter, do Lebanon have an embassy in Dublin.
@ thejynx…: if you are so concerned go to bring flowers to the Lebanon embassy or maybe you did already…
Correct @jinx it appears he has set a precedent here as our head of state. Whilst its obvious a book of condolences hasnt been signed by him vis a vis the lebanese bombings we can only hope that the least he did was to call the Lebanese ambassador to offer condolences on behalf of the citizens of this country.
America created ISIS
Right now we are enabling America via Shannon airport
Michael D Higgins knows that is going on
Hillary Clinton said america shouldn’t intervene because this isn’t their fight. The cheek of her, if it’s anyone’s fight, it’s America’s.
Obama created ISIS when he pulled their entire military presence out of Iraq overnight and allowed these barbarians to develop in the region.
‘Created’ isis might not be completely accurate but they certainly championed and assisted them, similar as they assisted the Taliban some decades ago in order to stop the threat, via a proxy war, of Russia taking a firmer powerhold in Asia. In this case, again by proxy, they wanted isis to take out Assad in Syria so they could get proxy control over the hugely important strategical area of the region in terms of location and fuel resources. Putin has called the US out on this very recently and if you listen to some French politicians interviews over the weekend, you will hear them call out the US on this also! The opposition leader did this and also went back to the invasion or Iraq, calling Bush&Blair “liars” and that they caused the rise of extremist islamic groups in the region. The US have been very quiet (not like them in the least) over the weekend, dont you think!?
Isis existed before Obama even took over
Sounds very familiar to what America said in 1939
Embrace people whose ideology states that you should be destroyed. No change there then. I’m surprised that Colm O’Gorman didn’t use the opportunity to campaign for his mercenary who got caught and imprisoned; as if the world wasn’t a dangerous enough place already.
President Higgins should say none of this is fault of France
Mr Higgins is from the same school of geo politics and humanitarianism as Mick Wallace – France is a 1st world country,thus they have more responsibility and duty toward 3rd world failed states.this also implies failed states are not to be criticised.
Cameron will want ‘lord’ Chilcott’s report in to his governments bungling and meddling in Iraq to be buried even further given recent events.
I’d like to sign a book of condolence for all the Syrians, Iraqi’s, Afghans, Yemenis, Darfurese and other nationalities that have died in the current terrorist wars taking place in 2015. Where do I go?
Cliodhna, Ireland has 32 counties, not just 26. Belfast is Ireland’s second city, so might be worth adding that a Book of Condolences is also open at the City Hall there, as well as in The Guildhall in Derry.
Hi Cliodhna, as per comment by Tír Eoghain Gael, two other Irish cities have books of condolences open and your readers in those cities would like to know they can sign.
have your say