Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has said her husband is a “private citizen” and is entitled to defend his good name after he threatened legal action against former minister Shane Ross about a book he has written about her.
Ms McDonald was asked about a legal action threatened by her husband, Martin Lanigan, against Mr Ross relating to his biography of Ms McDonald, which was published earlier this month.
She was speaking to journalists in Belfast on Monday but declined to answer any questions about the action, disclosed by Mr Ross in the Sunday Independent at the weekend.
Ms McDonald said: “Our system relies on two things, freedom of expression and freedom of the press, and also the right of every citizen to defend and vindicate their good name. My husband is a private citizen and I think those rights for private citizens are especially important.”
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She declined to take any further questions on the subject.
In a statement to The Irish Times, Mr Ross said: “No matter how many legal letters are dispatched, they should never muzzle legitimate questions or stifle accountability. They will not do so in this case. The matter is currently being carefully examined by lawyers.”
Mr Ross’s biography of the Sinn Féin leader was published earlier this month and contains a series of questions about how Ms McDonald and her husband financed the purchase and renovation of their house in Cabra in Dublin. Mr Ross was at pains to make clear there was no allegation of any wrongdoing, but said that “reasonable questions” about the house should be answered.
The legal threat from the husband of the Sinn Féin leader comes amid criticism from media and political opponents about the tendency of Sinn Féin politicians to take actions for defamation. Ms McDonald herself has taken an action against RTÉ after comments about the Máiría Cahill case on Morning Ireland earlier this year.
