This morning First Minister, Peter Robinson released this statement.
The PSNI must not be the subject of republican bullyboy tactics. They must be completely free to follow any and all evidence regardless of where it takes them and to decide free of political considerations whether suspects will be charged or not.
He continued;
I warn Sinn Fein that they have crossed the line and should immediately cease this destructive behaviour. The inconsistency of the Deputy First Minister is clear for all to see. He seems incapable of supporting the PSNI when it comes to the investigation of Mr Adams. What we need in these circumstances is leadership – it is patently absent in the republican movement. Their actions allow only one conclusion to be reached – republicans believe they are not subject to the rule of law in the same way as they demand others to be made amenable to the rule of law.
All democrats around the world, who believe it is an immutable obligation for every elected representative to uphold the rule of law and encourage others to do so, will be nauseated by the conduct of Sinn Fein.
The police and the prosecution service should not allow themselves to be intimidated by Sinn Fein.
Before going into government, Sinn Fein accepting the PSNI was a major selling point for the DUP. Has the threat of reviewing support for the PSNI put the final nail in the coffin for an Executive which now seems completely dysfunctional ?
David McCann holds a PhD in North-South relations from University of Ulster. You can follow him on twitter @dmcbfs