Irish EU Commissioner Hogan ‘regrets and apologises’ breaking rules only after pressure from PM
7202 Mins Read
EU Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan is standing his ground in a spiraling Irish political scandal that centers on a packed golf society soirée attended by top politicians in an apparent breach of coronavirus rules.
Two senior Irish politicians, including the agriculture minister, resigned for attending the function at a 3-star hotel in the west coast county of Galway on Wednesday, as fury grew across the country that the top brass flouted the rules while expecting citizens to stay away from loved ones during the pandemic.
Speaking during a sit-down interview on RTÉ’s Six One News this evening, Martin also stated that he would not recall the Dáil from its summer recess over the controversy, which has seen the resignation of Agriculture Minister Dara Calleary today.
EU Trade Commissioner Hogan attended the Oireachtas Golf Society event last Wednesday, along with 80 other people at a hotel in Clifden.
Hogan claimed earlier today that he obeyed the government’s quarantine rules before attending the event.
However, he did not apologise as part of his statement, and the Taoiseach called on him to do so in order to address the anger felt by the public.
“I think he should apologise, and I think he should be far more fulsome in his response to this and should understand the anger that we spoke about earlier,” Martin said.
“He is a member of the European Commission. He is not within the jurisdiction of the Irish government.
“I would like a meaningful response to the mood of the public and the anger of the public towards this issue.”
A spokesperson for Hogan this evening said that he “regretted and apologises” for attending the event.
The spokesperson said that Hogan, through a European Commission spokesperson earlier in Brussels, had “clarified that he did apologise”.
“He would not have attended if he understood it was not in compliance with public health guidelines.”
“The Taoiseach may not have been aware that the commissioner had expressed his regret earlier,” the spokesperson said.
Earlier, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly declined to express confidence in Hogan’s position.
“The issue for the Commissioner is beyond the remit for this government,” Donnelly responded.
