Dublin Report All the taoiseach’s men: feeding at the public trough

By John Kelly

Now that the majority of U.S. senators climbed off the sickeningly high moral ground and refused to impeach President Clinton, here in Ireland the evidence against politicians, particularly one politician, former Taoiseach Charles Haughey, continues to mount.

Just as Frank Sinatra had his rat pack, C.J. Haughey was surrounded by a tight circle of extremely secretive fat cat friends on whom he could call almost any time he needed financial assistance.

At the center of this circle was the late Desmond Traynor, a banker and financial wizard who seemed to have achieved what alchemists failed to do in the Middle Ages. He could turn almost anything into gold. When it came to hiding it from people who might wish to know, nasty predators like Revenue Commissioners he was as adept as a squirrel storing nuts for winter.