Posted by Updated / Friday, 13 Feb 2026 18:50
Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon has apologised “unreservedly” for a social media post wrongly linking former minister for justice Alan Shatter and Jeffrey Epstein.
This afternoon Mr Gannon released a statement saying he and the Social Democrats “unreservedly apologise to Mr Alan Shatter for all damage and hurt caused” by the 31 January post.
He explained the post “wrongly and mistakenly” included an image purporting to show a document from the Epstein files which suggested a meeting had taken place between Mr Shatter and Epstein.
He said the depiction of the event “was mistaken and untrue”.
It was, Mr Gannon said, an image which “derived from an online record of the travel diary of former US attorney general, Eric Holder”.
“The meeting recorded was an official government engagement in Dublin between then minister Shatter and attorney general Holder on 21 September 2011 and has no connection of any nature to Mr Epstein.”
He continued: “I acknowledge that Alan Shatter never met or arranged to meet Mr Epstein nor had any relationship or contact with him.”
Mr Gannon said despite deleting the post a screen shot of it “continued to circulate” on social media which resulted in Mr Shatter “being wrongly targeted, vilified and subject to antisemitic abuse”.
In a post on X shortly after the apology Mr Shatter said: “I am glad this matter is resolved by the issuing of this statement by Gary Gannon TD & the Social Democrats.”
Asked this evening how much in damages was paid to Mr Shatter and if it was Deputy Gannon or the Social Democrats that paid, a party spokesperson said they are not expanding on the statement that was issued.
Who Watches the Watchers? 