Sinn Féin has faced criticism over the last week for its handling of the suspension and resignation of Mr Ó Donnghaile.
Mr Ó Donnghaile, a former Belfast lord mayor, was suspended by Sinn Féin over the issue but the party allowed him to resign on health grounds in 2023 without revealing the complaint against him.
Calls for clarity on the teenager’s age came following a Sunday Independent article where the boy said he was 16 at the time the texts were sent and not 17 as McDonald and O’Neill had previously said.
The message is believed to have been personal in nature but not sexually explicit.
The party has also been questioned over its safeguarding policies after two former press officers gave references to former colleague and convicted child sex offender Michael McMonagle.
On Monday, it emerged that a Sinn Féin employee had resigned after admitting involvement in an incident where a portrait of former DUP lord mayor Lord Browne was damaged.
Speaking at Stormont on Tuesday, the first minister said the employee was “immediately suspended” and the police have been notified.
Source:
www.bbc.com
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