Leinster House. Stock image
There have been reports of a politician in the Oireachtas allegedly being recruited by Russian intelligence. File photo
In comparison to those in Westminster or Capitol Hill, the corridors of Leinster house can often be a quiet, if not dreary place. But, what if, lurking in the shadows, lay a compromised politician lured in by ego and seduced by the looks of a younger female operative?
Reports of a politician in the Oireachtas allegedly being recruited by Russian intelligence “shouldn’t come as any surprise to any of us” and Ireland is “not immune” from attempts to influence public opinion, Taoiseach Simon Harris said on Sunday.
The Taoiseach was responding to reports in the Sunday Times of the discovery of an Irish politician allegedly being recruited by Russian intelligence after an investigation by Irish military and security services.
Mr Harris said the Government does not comment on matters of security, but added: “It shouldn’t come as any surprise to any of us that Russia seeks to influence public opinion, seeks to distort public opinion, and is active in relation to that across the world, and that Ireland is not immune from that.”
Today on the Indo Daily, Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Gabija Gataveckaite, political correspondent with the Irish Independent, and Russia analyst Jason Corcoran, to discuss the intriguing story of Cobalt, and the growing threat posed by Russia’s international espionage network.
The Indo Daily: ‘Cobalt’: The Irish politician allegedly compromised by Russian spy
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