Fianna Fáil has disclosed that broadcaster Ivan Yates delivered two media training sessions to Jim Gavin in advance of the Presidential debates.
Previously when asked about the matter, the party had replied: “As a matter of policy, the party does not confirm the existence or otherwise of any relationships with suppliers or contractors.”
However, in a statement this morning, the party said that the party had used media consultants for years, and confirmed that Yates was one such contractor.
“Like all political parties, Fianna Fáil has for many years used the services of media skills consultants,” they said.
“The Party currently works with a number of providers, all on an ad-hoc basis.
“In relation to the recent presidential campaign, the Party retained the services of Ivan Yates to provide interview and debate training.
“The focus of the training was on the practicalities of in-studio interviews and was centred on preparations for two specific programmes.”
They added that Yates had worked at an “early stage” of the campaign.
“Ivan provided two sessions in the early stage of the campaign, between the period 23rd of September to 29th of September,” the party said.
“There was no further training or intervention provided after 29th of September.
“Ivan’s training totalled approximately four hours. He did not provide any campaign advice, nor was he involved in the campaign team.”
Separately, Newstalk has launched an internal review into Yates’ undisclosed ties to the campaign, after he hosted a show on the station for three episodes without flagging any potential conflicts.
“Ivan Yates did not inform Newstalk of any conflict of interest relating to the presidential election campaign…This matter is currently under review by Newstalk management,” a Newstalk spokeswoman said.
The controversy has brought an abrupt end to Yates’ co-hosting of the Path To Power podcast, which he hosted alongside Today FM broadcaster Matt Cooper. Both Cooper and agent Noel Kelly released a joint statement over the weekend saying that they had “taken the decision to end Ivan’s role as co-host of Path To Power with immediate effect”.
Cooper further thanked Yates for his contributions to the podcast, and confirmed that the podcast would not be ending, but would be proceeding with a different co-host.
In a LinkedIn post, Yates shared his last episode and said he wished the podcast “every continued success.”
During the recent presidential election, Yates – a former Fine Gael Agriculture Minister – sparked widespread online controversy with a remark about how, if he was hypothetically coaching his former party in their electoral approach, he would say they should “smear the bejaysus” out of Catherine Connolly.
Speaking on Newstalk, he said: “You’re going to be shocked about this now…I would go bullheaded: ‘Do you want a provo in the park? Is she a Russian asset?’ I would smear the bejaysus out of her, simply because you’ve nothing to lose.”
These remarks were used heavily by the Connolly campaign in their subsequent messaging, claiming that it pointed to an alleged media conspiracy against their candidate. Connolly went on to win the election by a landslide.
Reacting to the controversy on the Path To Power podcast at the time, Yates said it was all “BS”.
“This is a false flag,” he said at the time.
“This is an absolute attempt to distort and conflate me, who is not involved in [Fine Gael’s] campaign,” he said.
“It was still about 15 days to go, more than two weeks to go, when we had that chat. This is all BS.
“…I’m an analyst. I’m a pundit. I’m a commentator…to actually suggest that I was in any way involved in the Fine Gael campaign at any point in time for years is just nonsensical,” Yates said.
“The first lie they put out, the big lie, was that I was actually involved in some sort of Fine Gael conspiracy here.”
Speaking on RTÉ Radio One in the aftermath of the story, Fine Gael Minister Colm Brophy said that this revelation “raises serious questions for Fianna Fáil.”