Labour presidential candidate Michael D Higgins has said he "wouldn't be against" a transfer pact with Independent Senator David Norris in the election.
While he said there had been no formal discussions with Mr Norris, he indicated he would not be against the idea. After leading the polls until recently, Mr Higgins has now fallen behind independent candidate Seán Gallagher.
Mr Higgins was speaking today after he disowned a statement issued in his name which criticised Mr Norris's voting record on the 2008 banking guarantee.
The statement, which was sent out by e-mail yesterday evening, said the Trinity Senator was "being somewhat economical with the truth when he has claimed on several occasions during the Presidential election campaign that he 'voted against the bank guarantee'."
The then-government announced the decision to introduce the bank guarantee on the morning of October 1st, 2008.
"The official record of the Seanad (Vol 191-2) shows that Senator Norris did not speak in the Seanad debate on the Bill and did not participate in any of the Seanad votes on the legislation," the statement said.
"The official record shows that only Labour Senators voted against this legislation."
Responding this morning, the Norris campaign said: "At 7.15pm on the evening of 1st October 2008 Senator David Norris voted against the amendment to the Order of Business to allow the Seanad to force through a guillotined Bank Guarantee Bill which was being forced through the Dáil and the Government then wished to force through the Seanad without an opportunity for appropriate debate."
The statement added: "It is the Senator's view that the statement issued by Michael D. Higgins is intended to act as a deflection to his own support in 1993 for the Tax Amnesty Bill (Senator Norris voted against this Bill)."
However, in a debate between the two candidates at NUI Maynooth today, Mr Higgins said his statement was a "botún san oifig [mistake in the office]" and added: "They didn’t clear the statement with me before it went out."
He added: "To be quite frank with you, I’m not picking any spat with David Norris about this at all."
Mr Higgins said it was "one of those rare occasions when something went out from the office without my seeing it".
Asked if he was withdrawing the statement, the Labour nominee replied: "Yes."
Mr Higgins said that while there had been "no formal discussions" with Mr Norris about a vote transfer pact, "we wouldn't be against it now".
