Galway Bay FM Newsroom – The Secretary of State offered Katherine Zappone a UN role four months before cabinet approval.
Text messages between the two were released by the Foreign Office tonight.
On Thursday March 4th, Katherine Zappone texted Minister Simon Coveney thanking him for the “incredible opportunity” and saying she would be so proud to serve Ireland again.
Ms. Zappone told the State Department that Tanaiste Leo Vardakar was very excited about her appointment five days before the Taoiseach was informed of the role.
In an email to the department’s general secretary dated July 22, Katherine Zappone confirmed that she had texted Minister Simon Coveney about the timeframe of her new role and the details of the job.
Documents released by the department show that the scope of duties was changed following a meeting between the Secretary General and Ms. Zappone.
The email was sent to the cabinet 5 days before the appointment was due, leaving the Taoiseach “blind”.
