THE MOBILE PHONE records of the Garda Commissioner, Noirin O'Sullivan, are to be examined by a new Commission of Investigation.
Her records, and those of her predecessor Martin Callinan, will be examined to ascertain any involvement in an alleged smear campaign against whistleblowers.
The commission chaired by Supreme Court justice Peter Charleton will investigate claims by former Garda press officer, Superintendent Dave Taylor, who claims he was instructed by both commissioners to brief journalists negatively against Maurice McCabe.
He says he was told to brief the media negatively against McCabe, "in particular to brief the media that Sgt McCabe was motivated by maliciousness and revenge, that he was to encourage the media to write negatively about Sgt McCabe, to the effect that his complaints had no substance, that the Gardaí had fully investigated his complaints and found no substance to his allegations and that he was driven by agendas."
Ht also claims that he was told to draw attention to an allegation of criminal misconduct made against McCabe and "that this was the root cause of his agenda".
It will also examine the extent of any contact between Gardai and the media over the campaign - in particular whether O'Sullivan orchestrated an RTE News bulletin last May, purporting to be a leak of the O'Higgins Commission into alleged Garda misconduct in Cavan-Monaghan.
Sergeant McCabe was largely vindicated by that report, but was described in the RTE report of the findings as a liar and irresponsible.
Charleton's inquiry will also look at the circumstances of a meeting between the then-commissioner Martin Callinan and the Fianna Fáil TD John McGuinness, who was the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee at a time it was hearing from both Callinan and McCabe about the issuing of penalty points.
McGuinness has previously said Callinan was attempting to brief him that McCabe was "not to be trusted" and added: "The vile stories that circulated about Garda McCabe, which were promoted by senior officers in the Garda, were absolutely appalling."
TD claims Commissioner leaked McCabe "sexual crimes"
Earlier the Dáil heard claims that Noirin O'Sullivan had directly called journalists, making claims of sexual misbehaviour by Maurice McCabe.
The extraordinary claim was made during Leaders' Questions today by the Labour leader Brendan Howlin.
Speaking under Dáil privilege, Howlin said he had been contacted this morning by a journalist who was prepared to give testimony at the forthcoming Charleton Commission into the alleged smearing of whistleblowers.
Howlin said that journalist told him that in the course of phone calls directly to journalists, "the Commissioner made very serious allegations of sexual crimes having been committed by Maurice McCabe."
The Taoiseach said the claims were of the "most serious import" but insisted that the claims of a smear campaign had not been proven.
This evening the Garda Commissioner said Howlin's comments were the first time she had learned of any such claim, and she denied them "in the strongest possible terms".
"To her knowledge," in a Garda statement, "no report having been made to the Garda Siochána Ombudsman or elsewhere relating to the specific allegations."
She also said she would provide supports and assistance "for the members concerned" by Howlin's statement.
Our political correspondent Gavan Reilly reported:
