Ivan Yates has accused Catherine Connolly’s campaign of “smearing” Heather Humphreys by implying he is associated with her campaign. 

Discussing Deputy Connolly’s surging support, broadcaster and former Fine Gael TD Ivan Yates suggested Ms Humphreys should take the gloves off if she is to have any hope of winning the Presidency. 

“So, if you were asking me, okay? So Fine Gael ring me and say, ‘How do we reverse this?’ right?” he told Newstalk’s Calling It podcast. 

“You’re going to be shocked about this now… I would go bullheaded, ‘Do you want a provo in the park? Is she a Russian asset?’

“I would smear the bejaysus out of her, simply because you’ve nothing to lose.”

Presidential candidates Heather Humphreys and Catherine Connolly. Picture by: Conor O'Mearain / Alamy.

The remark was seized upon by supporters of Deputy Connolly’s campaign and the candidate described herself as “very shocked” when she heard them. 

Meanwhile, Ms Humphreys quickly distanced herself from the remarks, telling journalists that, “Ivan Yates has nothing, nothing to do with my campaign”. 

Mr Yates, who is a former Fine Gael TD and Cabinet Minister, said that he was surprised his remarks got the attention that they did. 

“I realised very quickly by some of the texts I was receiving that the normal coverage of anything I say… might get a bit of traction or whatever, but I could see this was being driven,” he told Calling It.

“The Connolly campaign decided to really amplify [this] in every way they could. 

“The reaction from those on the Fine Gael side, who felt this was damaging to Heather in terms of reaction and so on, I would say, ‘Sorry, hold on a second - let’s be clear; blaming me for Heather’s difficulties is like blaming Roy Keane for the problems of Man United.’ 

“I’m an analyst, I’m a pundit, I’m a commentator and the nature of that is pretty graphic and explicit. 

“To actually suggest that I was in any way involved in the Fine Gael campaign, at any point in time, for years, is just nonsensical. 

“The first lie they put out, the big lie, was that I was actually involved in some sort of Fine Gael conspiracy here.”

Áras an Uachtárain. Picture by: Alamy.com.

Mr Yates continued that after he left Dáil Éireann in 2002, he went into business and then “accidently had a media career”. 

In 2009, he joined Newstalk Breakfast, at which point he said that cancelled his membership of Fine Gael, viewing it as inappropriate for a broadcaster to be a member of a political party. 

“The lady doth protest - not only too much but so much that she’s actually using it for five days nonstop as a campaigning angle to actually smear Heather’s campaign - which I have nothing to do with,” he said. 

“I do know Paul Kehoe, the campaign manager; he was my protegee TD. 

“I do know Chris Donoghue; I haven’t had any communication with either of them since this election started. 

“That would tell you that even though I know them socially, I’m just not involved.” 

Mr Yates added that the entire controversey was a "false flag".

"This is an absolute attempt to distort and conflate me - who is not involved in her campaign," he said.

"The fact of that matter is, there was about two weeks to go when had that chat, this is all BS."

Ballot boxes at a counting centre. Picture by: Alamy.com

Despite this, Mr Yates added that the controversy had done him no harm personally. 

“I could not buy this type of publicity,” he said. 

“The ratings for Path to Power, the subscriptions to it, have gone through the roof."

The Connolly campaign has been contacted for comment.

Main image: A split of Ivan Yates, Catherine Connolly and Heather Humphreys. Pictures by: Newstalk and RollingNews.ie.