MARK McDonald reportedly made his young staff member “promise not to tell anyone” when she woke up drunk in his bed without any recollection of how she got there, investigators have been told.

It was reported yesterday that the MSP for Aberdeen Donside could be kicked out of the SNP by the end of the week, as private detectives hired to look into the case investigate allegations of misconduct.

SNP colleagues in the Scottish Parliament and in the North East are furious with McDonald who resigned as Children’s Minister in November.

They told The National they were angry at how the three women who complained have been “made to look like the aggressors” while McDonald gets to be the victim.

Yesterday, there were suggestions that the young woman who ended up in McDonald’s hotel room after a Christmas party in 2015, was upset at how her complaint had been handled by the SNP.

The Sun reported that the staffer, who still works in the Scottish Parliament, felt she had been smeared by party officials, and believed that senior figures in the SNP had tried to dismiss her complaints, accusing her of having a drink problem.

One source told the paper: “She was talking about going up to the ministerial suite to say, ‘Look, this is me. This is what happened.’

“She had to be talked down. She was persuaded by party managers that going public isn’t the best thing.

“They made out the press would eat her alive.”

The party called in private detectives to investigate the Aberdeen Donside MSP after four complaints were made about his behaviour from three separate women. A handful of details from the investigation were leaked to the Sunday Times last weekend.

They included messages between McDonald and one of the women where he made a joke which made her uncomfortable.

“That’s twice you’ve dingyed me now. Twice. It’s ok tho I understand,” he wrote.

This was followed up by another stating: “My phone wanted to autocorrect dingyed to fingered there which I’m so glad I noticed before I sent that message.”

The paper also carried McDonald’s side of the story about the Christmas bash in 2015.

The Sunday Times report said McDonald had denied any wrongdoing, insisting his concern was solely for his staff member’s welfare and that there was no sexual contact.

His position is that at 4am she was able to call a friend and organise a taxi to her flat, and that he waited with her in the hotel lobby before returning to his room.

One of McDonald’s MSP colleagues said the politician was trying to spin his way out of something inappropriate.

She said investigators had been told the MSP made the staff member “promise not to tell anyone.”

The MSP told us: “It’s a bloody disgrace that after that piece they are being made to look like they are the aggressors and he is the victim. A pattern of behaviour from him.”

She added: “I want to see this reported properly. Women don’t come forward lightly.”

Friends of McDonald told The National it was absolutely not the case that he was behind the leak to the Sunday Times.

A spokesperson for the SNP said: “McDonald is currently suspended from the SNP.

“An independent investigation is ongoing and it would be inappropriate to comment further.”