PAT Finucane‘s son has clashed with conservative political commentator Richard Waghorne who claimed online that the murdered solicitor was “the IRA‘s lawyer“. Mr Waghorne is a former political commentator for the Irish Daily Mail.
On his official Twitter feed yesterday the political blogger made comments about the hunan-rights lawyer shot dead by loyalists in 1989. Mr Waghorne first tweeted that it was “Astonishing that the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs is wasting time tomorrow on the death of IRA lawyer Pat Finucane“. Later he said the Belfast solicitor’s reputation “as a ‘human rights lawyer’ is more than slightly questionable”. His outburst provoked Mr Finucane’s Dublin-based solicitor son Michael to challenge the political commentator he once represented in legal proceedings in the Republic. Michael Finucane is in Washington giving evidence to the foreign affairs committee in relation to state collusion involved in his father’s murder. In a series of tweets he replied : “You’re quite happy to sully my dad’s name but I acted for you when you needed a lawyer. Was I right or wrong to help you?” Mr Waghorne tweeted : “Your father’s record of defending IRA terrorists is well documented.” Mr Finucane tweeted : “I beleive you’ll find lawyer defends client, not the cause or beliefs. Thats all my dad did. And all I did for you, right?” Mr Waghorne tweeted : “You were free to refuse the brief. Your father was free to to refuse his. He choose to defend IRA terrorists.” Mr Finucane tweeted : “Well, I didn’t refuse you because of what you believe or say and my dad was just as professional. That’s the differnce.” The Washington committee will today be updated on developments in the Finucane investigation since the release of the report by barrister Sir Desmond de Silva and will hear testimony from retired US brigadier general James P Cullen.
With many thanks to : Allison Morris, Irish News.
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