Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O'Neill has stated that Emma Little-Pengelly was "shocked and revolted" by the revelations concerning former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson. O'Neill made these remarks in Dublin on Tuesday, expressing that numerous questions remain for the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to address.
O'Neill claimed that many within the DUP were aware of Donaldson's alleged behavior. "It's very clear for us all to see that there was a culture in the DUP to turn a blind eye to actually what was happening," she stated. "That their leader was engaged in this type of behaviour and nobody knew about it? I don't think anybody believes that."
<]]>Speaking about Little-Pengelly, O'Neill noted she had spoken with her Stormont executive counterpart, but indicated it was "for her to answer for what she knew." Prior to Little-Pengelly's statement, O'Neill had expressed astonishment at the perceived silence surrounding the issue, questioning why the media were not posing these questions directly to her. The first minister also refuted suggestions of hypocrisy, dismissing claims that Sinn Féin, her own party, had mishandled past controversies. "This isn't about Sinn Féin," O'Neill asserted. "No, Sinn Féin are not hypocrites."
The Belfast Telegraph reported on Tuesday that a woman has alleged Donaldson sexually assaulted her in 2016 and that she had informed a senior member of the DUP about the incident at the time.
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