Sean Murray Profile picture
May 22, 2018 71 tweets 24 min read Twitter logo Read on Twitter
Martin Callinan back up again at the #DisclosuresTribunal this morning
Callinan is asked by Michael McDowell SC, for McCabe, about the whistleblower's cooperation with the internal garda inquiry into penalty points. Callinan says it's a "reasonable position to take" that McCabe didn't cooperate #DisclosuresTribunal
In letter from Dept of Justice official to McCabe, it advises him to raise penalty points issues and present evidence to commissioner or Oireachtas committee. Callinan says "the rightful place was to bring them to An Garda Síochána in the first instance". #DisclosuresTribunal
On the claims of Philip Boucher-Hayes, Callinan says that his phraseology was "opaque". "I cannot imagine an experienced journalist letting me off the hook like that," he says. #DisclosuresTribunal
Callinan says it's "possible" Taylor told Boucher-Hayes negative things about McCabe. McDowell puts it to him that it's Callinan's case there was no campaign against McCabe, so Taylor couldn't have said it. Callinan says he never ordered a smear #DisclosuresTribunal
Callinan says: "There was no campaign as far as I'm concerned. I have no knowledge of any such campaign in An Garda Síochána to brief negatively about Sergeant McCabe." #DisclosuresTribunal
Now Callinan says he's "not advancing" the possibility that Taylor told Boucher-Hayes the negative things about McCabe. "I cannot account for what Mr Boucher-Hayes has said," he says #DisclosuresTribunal
Turning to RTÉ broadcast about McCabe's level of cooperation with internal garda inquiry into penalty points. It's McDowell's assertion that the content of the broadcast was directed by An Garda Síochána #DisclosuresTribunal
Charleton quips that "we're drowning in a small pool". #DisclosuresTribunal #Charletonquotes
Callinan agrees with McDowell that RTÉ piece creates impression that McCabe made a decision not to cooperate with the internal garda review into penalty points #DisclosuresTribunal
An objection is made to McDowell's line of questioning and on what basis he can ask. Charleton says: "On the basis that no one is going to ever tell me what the source is. If you don't tell me, I'll have to put two and two together. Or maybe I can't." #DisclosuresTribunal
Charleton says he believes McDowell's line of questioning is valid because it's hinting at "someone giving a ship a wrong steer". Charleton adds: "Journalists can be easily misled, unfortunately. Just as I can." #DisclosuresTribunal
Callinan is asked who sent him the below text message just a few days before he resigned. He says he has "no idea" who sent it. #DisclosuresTribunal
Callinan adds that Paul Reynolds never had any problem putting difficult questions to him and would do so often #DisclosuresTribunal
Callinan is asked about his attitude to McCabe. He says: "There were other avenues to go first. He's a man of rank. These were very serious allegations being made. He had a duty to report those to [through garda channels] in the first instance." #DisclosuresTribunal
Callinan says "clearly it was wrong" for McCabe to "print off Pulse records and pass them to third parties". He said that would ordinarily result in disciplinary action, but Callinan says he balanced it with McCabe's belief that he was highlighting wrongdoing #DisclosuresTribunal
Callinan now asked about comments at PAC meeting on possibility of disciplinary action. He reiterates that he was concerned at third parties being given Pulse documents #DisclosuresTribunal
McDowell asserts that McCabe had "no hand, act or part" in giving Callinan's address to a journalist. Callinan says "that may be so", but had earlier suggested McCabe could have had info "passed on" to him #DisclosuresTribunal
Callinan says: "At that time I knew there was material leaked into the public domain. I tried my best to stop it. I took legal advice." #DisclosuresTribunal
Callinan again on his thoughts on McCabe. He says: "Reality is I had sent a direction, and I had invited him to engage if he wished. And he didn't... Why in the name of god did he not come to his authorities?" #DisclosuresTribunal
Callinan now asked about internal garda review into other issues McCabe was raising about Cavan/Monaghan some years prior. McDowell says notice circulated after review gave impression "McCabe was left vilified in this way as a crank". #DisclosuresTribunal
Callinan says he doesn't accept assertion that McCabe was viewed as an outcast after this review. "He was making complaints about his colleagues. Of course there'd be tension there. Of course there'd be bad feelings," he says #DisclosuresTribunal
It's put to Callinan that: "You spoke to three people and you very seriously disparaged Maurice McCabe to their faces." He replies: "That is not true... Certain issues have been misinterpreted by those parties." He calls McGuinness' claims "crazy" #DisclosuresTribunal
Callinan asked if McGuinness' claims are a "malicious invention". He won't be drawn on that, and insists again he's telling the truth. Says that note made by McGuinness afterwards isn't reflective of that meeting #DisclosuresTribunal
Hmm. Callinan says: "It is the case that McGuinness has met some of the key witnesses at this Tribunal, and I don't know what influence that has had." He's asked if he's suggesting that McCabe "put McGuinness up to telling lies about you". He says he's not #DisclosuresTribunal
Callinan adds: "I do find it disconcerting that matters were discussed between McCabe and Taylor, and McGuinness and Taylor." #DisclosuresTribunal
On claims of McGuinness, Callinan says: "This man is a public representative. Surely he had a duty to report those matters at least to the O'Higgins Commission, and perhaps before that." McDowell says this wasn't in O'Higgins terms of ref #DisclosuresTribunal
McDowell asks Callinan: "How in one calendar month have four people - who couldn't have possibly colluded - given evidence that you attacked the character and reputation of Sgt McCabe?" Callinan says he "finds it strange" they waited so long to say it #DisclosuresTribunal
That was a remarkable last few minutes. Callinan raised concerns about the timing of the allegations against him and the conversations between John McGuinness, McCabe and Taylor. He's now facing questions from Tara Burns SC, for Dave Taylor #DisclosuresTribunal
Burns bringing Callinan through correspondence between him and Mr Justice O'Neill over claims in Taylor's protected disclosure. He says he didn't have enough details of allegations to fully address the claims #DisclosuresTribunal
Callinan denied the allegations a month after initial correspondence in Oct 2016 #DisclosuresTribunal
It's put to Callinan that he wanted there to be a "bar to any future inquiry". He disagrees and says he felt that these matters should have been dealt with at O'Higgins Commission previously #DisclosuresTribunal
Callinan wrote: "I've been advised that any possible matter arising from the two protected disclosures should've been raised at O'Higgins and that the failure to do so is a bar to any further form of inquiry involving matters which ought to have been raised" #DisclosuresTribunal
Despite this previous statement, Callinan says that "of course I would have had to deal with these matters" and was always prepared to do so. #DisclosuresTribunal
Burns wants to know why Callinan didn't go into details of this conversation with Taylor where he claims Taylor him he wanted to "bring down" Nóirín O'Sullivan during interview with Tribunal investigators. He says he answered the questions put to him #DisclosuresTribunal
How did Callinan feel after Taylor said he wanted to "bring down" O'Sullivan. He says: "I told the Superintendent I wasn't going to go there... I didn't think it was proper to be speaking about his commissioner in those terms." #DisclosuresTribunal
Did Callinan not think it was appropriate to let O'Sullivan know Taylor wanted to "bring her down"? He says: "People say things in the heat of battle. He was suffering. I didn't add to his woes. I told him to get on with his job." #DisclosuresTribunal
Callinan says he has "no recollection" of ever telling O'Sullivan about what Taylor said but he can't be "absolutely sure". #DisclosuresTribunal
Callinan asked if he's actively pursuing the case that Taylor gave Boucher-Hayes a negative briefing about McCabe. He says he's not but that members of his staff had been at RTÉ prior to his arrival at the studio #DisclosuresTribunal
Callinan asked if he had a view on why McCabe was making allegations of wrongdoing in the gardaí. He replies that McCabe was entitled to do so, and that it was his job to investigate the claims. #DisclosuresTribunal
Callinan pressed on chat with Shatter. Former minister has told Tribunal he asked Callinan "was there something behind" McCabe making complaints. Callinan says he "felt obliged" to mention 2006 sexual abuse allegation. He says he mentioned it "very briefly" #DisclosuresTribunal
Callinan asked a number of times if he believed that the 2006 sexual abuse allegation was a motivating factor for McCabe making complaints against gardaí. He says internal garda review mentioned allegation, but he can't be sure what catalyst was for McCabe #DisclosuresTribunal
Both Alan Shatter and former sec gen Brian Purcell have told Tribunal that they asked if there was more background to McCabe's allegations, and that Callinan told them about 2006 allegations. He says he "didn't dig down to personalise matters". #DisclosuresTribunal
Callinan is asked: "Did you think that perhaps if people realised there's a bit more to McCabe, it might be a bit easier for An Garda Síochána." "Absolutely not." "Really?" He then says: "I'm not in the business of personalising these things." #DisclosuresTribunal
Brief q about O'Higgins Commission and if Callinan felt that 2006 allegation should be raised to challenge motivation. Charleton is having none of it. He says: "At this point, I'm absolutely sick of it. It wasn't raised. Nobody raised it. It never happened." #DisclosuresTribunal
Going through counsel for different parties quickly now. RTÉ went through briefly, and now we're on counsel for Gemma O'Doherty #DisclosuresTribunal
Conflict over Pulse entry for the fixed charge notice Callinan had wiped. Mark Harty SC, for O'Doherty, says no reason was given for it being cancelled and it doesn't say who was driving the car. Callinan disagrees #DisclosuresTribunal
Harty says that it's a possibility Callinan's wife could have been driving car. Callinan insists he was driving the car, and that there is a Pulse entry that confirms what he's saying #DisclosuresTribunal
Combative stuff here. Harty puts it to Callinan that it was a matter of public interest he had a fixed charge notice wiped. Callinan agrees that it was. #DisclosuresTribunal
Callinan says he was caught speeding on way to meeting a "source" over a "security matter" #DisclosuresTribunal
Callinan says Pulse record does refer to him. It's put to him: "Are you the only Martin Callinan on the island of Ireland?" It's also said it would have been defamatory to name him if it was actually another Martin Callinan. Callinan agrees #DisclosuresTribunal
On O'Doherty visiting his address to confirm that garda commissioner did live there, Callinan is asked why that "made [him] so angry". He replies that it was "most unusual", she had called to his home late, and could have been dealt with by press office #DisclosuresTribunal
Callinan asked if Gemma O'Doherty had asked the Garda Press Office if he'd had penalty points wiped, would she have gotten the correct answer? "I'm quite sure they would have," Callinan says. #DisclosuresTribunal
Supt Dave Taylor and Ass Commissioner John Twomey ended up in meeting with INM editors over Gemma O'Doherty story. Callinan says he doesn't know why Twomey was there. "I don't know what the particular arrangement for that meeting was," he says #DisclosuresTribunal
Callinan asked if his only problem was that she should have went to the press office, then why did Supt Taylor and an assistant commissioner have two senior INM editorial staff come to a meeting over it. He says he didn't have details of that meeting #DisclosuresTribunal
Callinan is asked when he actually asked what the story O'Doherty was working on was about. It was some time after this, he says #DisclosuresTribunal
It's put to him that O'Doherty's story in April 2013 is first time penalty points issue became "personal" to him. Callinan says: "I didn't take it personal against McCabe to start some sort of vendetta." #DisclosuresTribunal
Charleton asks Callinan about using his own car. Judge asks: "I thought there was a theory that gardaí are always on duty." Callinan says if a garda sees something off duty, there's an expectation he or she would react #DisclosuresTribunal
Darren Lehane, for John McGuinness, now. Asks Callinan his relationship with McGuinness prior to 2014. He replies: "I think it's safe to assume we were locking horns over whether PAC had entitlement to have possession of Pulse documents." #DisclosuresTribunal
Callinan asked about Deasy first. "Why would Deputy Deasy make it up?" he's asked. "I don't know," is the answer #DisclosuresTribunal
We're on this "Jocky" Wilson nickname again for former Garda John Wilson. Charleton - who either remembers the Darts player of same name or did a google last night - says namesake was a world champion and had no teeth because of a fondness for sweets #DisclosuresTribunal
It's put to Callinan that he didn't tell anyone about McGuinness calling Wilson a "fucking header" or keep a note of it because it didn't happen. "This is my evidence under oath," Callinan says #DisclosuresTribunal
Callinan reiterates that he had never heard the expression "kiddie fiddler" before. It's put to him that, as a very senior officer, that account is "not credible". #DisclosuresTribunal
Charleton on Kurosawa, part 2: "He noted by Spielberg as liking rain, I don't just mean rain but torrential rain. [But] Kurosawa is dead about 20 years at this point." #DisclosuresTribunal
Again, Callinan says that John McGuinness' account of what he said about McCabe in car park is "totally false" #DisclosuresTribunal
Callinan's account is that McGuinness asked him about McCabe's 2006 allegation. He's asked a number of times if this would have been a "significant intervention" from the PAC chairman. Callinan says it was #DisclosuresTribunal
Again, it's put to Callinan that because he has no note, and didn't tell anyone about what McGuinness said in that car park, that his version of events didn't happen. He replies: "It happened in the manner and detail in which I have described." #DisclosuresTribunal
It's put to Callinan that he has spun a "web of lies" in his evidence and that he has tried to trap McGuinness in that web. He denies it. #DisclosuresTribunal
We've spent the last (long) while going through all of Callinan's evidence again under questioning from his counsel #DisclosuresTribunal
Counsel for the gardaí says he's aware he's gone over time. Charleton says: "You've gone 40 minutes over the original 30 minutes you said. But we carry on." #DisclosuresTribunal
Wrapping up with Mr Justice Charleton now. He puts to Callinan that making Dave Taylor the head of the press office must have been one of the biggest mistakes of his life. "I have to agree with you, chairman," he says #DisclosuresTribunal

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More from @SeanMJourno

Sep 11, 2018
Activists on one side of road, gardaí on the other as eviction takes place of occupied building on Frederick Street in Dublin
Gardaí from the public order unit on the site. A few dozen activists also.
A number of individuals with their faces covered at the entrance to the building. They’re not in Garda uniforms. Four Garda vans on site though
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