Fine Gael to back Louth candidate John McGahon despite questions over role in brawl, says Harris
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Fine Gael is continuing to back Louth general election candidate John McGahon, as rival parties raise questions over his role in a street brawl in 2018.
Mr McGahon was acquitted in 2022 of assaulting Breen White outside a Dundalk nightclub in 2018, but the Fine Gael senator was found to be 65% civilly liable by a High Court jury.
However, pictures of Mr White’s injuries — which were published in the — have resulted in calls for Fine Gael leader Simon Harris to answer questions on Mr McGahon’s candidacy.
Speaking in Tipperary, Mr Harris said that his party would continue to canvas for Mr McGahon.
“These matters were all examined in a court of law. A jury sat in Louth, a jury looked at the CCTV, a jury looked at images. A defence was put forward, a defence of self-defence was put forward, and a jury found him not guilty.”
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Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald described the incident involving Mr McGahon as a “very violent, very brutal assault”, and said Mr Harris does have questions to answer.
“I think this raises the obvious question as to how Simon Harris could endorse senator John McGahon as a Fine Gael candidate when he knew about this brutal assault.
Ms McDonald said that the pictures of Mr White were “not the evidence of a scuffle”, which is how Mr Harris previously described the incident.
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin described the photographs of Mr White as “shocking”, and said the public had not been aware of the scale of his injuries until now.
“It does seem that the victim here didn’t get the type of response that one would have thought he should have got, and I think the situation is serious," Mr Martin said.
"I think, obviously, it’s a matter the Fine Gael party will have to deal with and address,” he added.
The outgoing Tánaiste acknowledged that it was dealt with in the courts, but said Mr McGahon was found to be civilly liable.
Meanwhile, Labour leader Ivana Bacik said: "I do think Fine Gael have questions to answer about their self-identification as the party of law and order, because I think that self-description is rather undermined if they are looking to stand by or indeed actively promote somebody who’s engaging in the sort of behaviour that leads to those awful, shocking injuries.”