Taoiseach Simon Harris continued to field questions on Wednesday over what Fine Gael said to RTÉ about its use of a video clip showing a disabilities worker confronting him on the campaign trail last week.
A video of Mr Harris being challenged by the worker, Charlotte Fallon, in Kanturk last Friday evening went viral online. Mr Harris has rejected suggestions that contact made by Fine Gael with RTÉ was an attempt to influence how the broadcaster handled the controversial clip.
However, the Taoiseach and Fine Gael have come under mounting pressure to provide more detail on who contacted RTÉ, and to provide a full account of interactions between Mr Harris’s team and the national broadcaster on the matter.
On Wednesday reporters pressed Mr Harris about remarks he made during Monday night’s televised debate where he said he didn’t believe that Fine Gael had requested RTÉ not to broadcast the video from Kanturk.
He was also asked about allegations that Fine Gael had suggested to RTÉ that Ms Fallon was a member of Sinn Féin.
“Yeah, I’ve asked that question and I don’t believe that was the case,” he said.
Pressed as to whether he didn’t believe it to be the case or knew it to be the case, Mr Harris twice repeated: “I’ve asked that question and I do not believe it to be the case”.
The main opposition party Sinn Féin has seized on the issue, calling on RTÉ to publish details of any correspondence with Mr Harris’s party. Its director of elections, Matt Carthy, argued that Fine Gael has “refused to come clean on this issue which goes right to the heart of the democratic process. In the interests of transparency and to assure the public that the national broadcaster is not facing undue pressure by government parties, RTÉ needs to publish details of the correspondence with Fine Gael in relation to the Kanturk incident.”
RTÉ declined to comment.
Mr Harris said there was constant engagement between all parties and RTÉ – and with other media outlets – and that he was satisfied that there was nothing inappropriate about any contacts.
Mr Harris added that his party – unlike the Sinn Féin leader – was not suing RTÉ or proposing to review RTÉ.
Asked if he would encourage RTÉ to publish the nature of the representations from Fine Gael, Mr Harris said that RTÉ had already commented on the issue, and said it received regular contacts from parties.
Elsewhere, Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe said he was not aware of who made any representations from Fine Gael to RTÉ about the Kanturk video, but has satisfied himself that they were entirely appropriate.
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