The Minister for Justice's admission that he leaked papers on the former journalist Frank Connolly to The Irish Independentraises serious questions about his judgment, Fine Gael has said.
Justice spokesman Jim O'Keeffe said the issue had now "gone beyond" Frank Connolly and the Centre for Public Inquiry.
"However, Frank Connolly still has serious questions to answer with regard to this whole matter. The issue now is the judgement of the Minister for Justice.
"The Minister has admitted that he leaked Garda papers to one newspaper because his claims about Mr Connolly had been refuted on an RTÉ programme. This suggests that the Minister regards Garda files as part of his political armoury."
Mr O'Keeffe said the Minister's actions may also have prejudiced any possible charges that might be brought by the DPP in the future.
"In the past, the Minister has accused Gardaí of taking bribes for releasing information to sections of the media and introduced serious penalties for Gardaí who breached confidentiality. At that time he claimed that it was not his role to publish information that had not been proven in court. His recent actions suggest an arrogant and hypocritical approach to his office.
"His explanations today had all the hallmarks of a Minister who realizes that he has overstepped the mark and is desperately trying to justify his misguided actions."