Chief whip Hildegarde Naughton won't say when she knew of complaint against ex-FG councillor Patsy O'Brien over pornographic texts

Cllr O'Brien was expelled from the party after a staffer complained about being texted pornographic material by him. This incident raised serious questions regarding workplace conduct and accountability.

Ms Naughton commented on the complaint process, stating, "A complaint was made and the Fine Gael party engaged in a process. And at the end of that process Councillor Patsy O'Brien was expelled from the party, and rightly so." This emphasizes the party's stance on maintaining appropriate conduct.

Regarding allegations against Mr O'Brien, Ms Naughton stated, "A complaint was made and the Fine Gael party engaged in a confidential process... He was expelled from the party and that was the right course of action." This reflects the emphasis on confidentiality and the seriousness of the allegations.

Mr O'Brien, after Fine Gael's statement, said he sent one message around October 2019 and described it as "workplace banter". His characterization underplays the gravity of sending unsolicited explicit content.

Read at Irish Independent