One Nation refers broadcaster to AFP for expose over NRA funds bid

Pauline Hanson’s right-hand man claims he was “on the sauce” when he was caught on tape seeking $20m from the NRA.

Pauline Hanson’s right-hand man claims he was “on the sauce” when he was caught on tape saying he wanted to obtain up to $20m in donations from America’s gun lobby.

Senator Hanson’s chief of staff James Ashby and One Nation’s Queensland state leader Steve Dickson fronted cameras in Brisbane today and repeated their claims that Al-Jazeera was a “spy organisation.”

But both men also said they never wanted donations from the NRA and had been drinking scotches for “3 or 4 hours” when they proclaimed a desire for their donations.

“This was not about sourcing money from the NRA. This was about sourcing technology,” Mr Ashby said today.

“Sourcing an understanding of how they operate, but never was it about seeking $20 million from the NRA.

“And the conversations that have been recorded where is a talk of $10-20 million, I will be the first to admit, we’d arrived in America, we got on the sauce, we’d had a few drinks and that’s where those discussions took place.”

An Al-Jazeera investigation has filmed Mr Ashby and the party’s Queensland state leader Steve Dickson in both America and Australia plotting to use the NRA to boost their donations and water down gun laws.

One Nation party officials Steve Dickson (left) and James Ashby. Picture: AAP

An Al-Jazeera reporter, Roger Muller, posed a fake gun lobbyist to approach Mr Ashby and Mr Dickson, and later set up meetings for the two men in Washington with NRA officials, where they asked for donations and received advice on using the death of gun victims to promote pro-gun policies.

“Rodger Muller ... I want to make this point very clearly, was employed by a Middle Eastern country, Al Jazeera, to come to Australia, as a spy, to infiltrate into Australian politics,” Mr Dickson said.

But the One Nation Queensland leader said he supported “more Australians” having guns.

“I said clearly I want to see guns into the hands of more Australians under the present rules we have in place,” Mr Dickson said.

Mr Dickson also appeared to compare gun crimes to the use of road vehicles in massacres committed in both Melbourne and France in recent years.

“I’m happy to see Australians being able to own firearms in this country ... I am a supporter of firearms in this country.

“Let’s also bring this into context. We’ve seen a fellow in a car drive people down

In Melbourne and in Sydney. Two different events that occurred.

“We’ve seen trucks used in France that have mowed 80 people down and killed them.

“Will we take every car off the road? Do you think that is sensible?”

Scott Morrison today slammed One Nation’s interactions with the NRA and said it gave people “a very good reason” not to vote for Senator Hanson’s party.

Mr Ashby said One Nation do not want to change current laws and said so to Al-Jazeera on “secret recordings.”

“On the secret recordings - we were not going to water down any of Howard’s gun legislation,” he said today.

“Steve had said it, I had said it. When these conversations about semi-automatics, about handguns for women, for men, to carry on themselves on the

streets of this country, we said it is not going to happen. We will not water down those laws.”

One Nation refers Al-Jazeera to AFP

One Nation has spectacularly accused international news organisation Al-Jazeera of being “foreign agents” and referred it to ASIO and the AFP for interfering in Australian elections, after the news channel revealed Pauline Hanson’s right hand man sought $20m in donations from America’s gun lobby.

An Al-Jazeera investigation has filmed James Ashby and the party’s Queensland state leader Steve Dickson in both America and Australia plotting to use the NRA to boost their donations and water down gun laws.

An Al-Jazeera reporter posed as a fake gun lobbyist to approach Mr Ashby and Mr Dickson, and later set up meetings for the two men in Washington with NRA officials, where they asked for donations and received advice on using the death of gun victims to promote pro-gun policies.

A One Nation spokesman told The Australian this morning that they did not recognise Al-Jazeera’s legitimacy and he had referred the news organisation to Australia’s domestic spy agency and the federal police.

“Al Jazeera are a state owned propaganda arm of the Qatari government that supports Islamic extremist groups and are not a legitimate media organisation,” he said.

The Australian Federal Police confirmed it has received One Nation’s referral against Al-Jazeera.

The revelations about One Nation’s search for US gun lobby money comes in the wake of the Christchurch terror attacks and a push on the Liberal Party to put One Nation last on its how-to-vote cards.

James Ashby is caught on a hidden camera in a meeting with NRA chiefs. Picture Al-Jazeera

In one meeting was filmed with a hidden camera, Mr Dickson told gun lobbyists in the US that One Nation could “have the testicles of the government” if they got the donations and would make watering down gun laws a priority in that instance.

“We get the balance of power, very simply that means that we have the testicles of the government in our hand at every given stage,” Mr Dickson said in a meeting with the NRA.

“And guns, in the scheme of things, are still going to be the be-all and end-all.”

In a meeting with an NRA media adviser, the two One Nation figures were advised on how to tackle criticism of their pro-gun policies by using the deaths of gun victims to their advantage.

”How dare you stand on the graves of those children to put forward your political agenda?’ Just shame them to the whole idea,” NRA media liaison Lars Dalseide said.

“I love that,” Mr Dickson replies.

“It’s like, ‘If you, if your policy, isn’t good enough to stand on itself, how dare you use their deaths to push that forward?” Mr Dalseide responds.

“That’s very good, very strong,” Mr Ashby said in return.

Dismissing the broadcaster’s investigation, the One Nation spokesman said: “One Nation was invited by (Al-Jazeera reporter) Rodger Muller, who has now been outed as a foreign agent working for Al Jazeera to meet with the NRA, American business leaders and attend the Congressional Sportsman’s Dinner.

“One Nation has asked Al Jazeera to show complete transparency and release the full context of conversations. The matter has been referred to ASIO and the Australian Federal Police due to concerns of foreign interference into Australian politics in the lead up to the imminent federal election.

“It is understood One Nation were targeted because of its strong approach to reducing immigration numbers and a travel ban on countries with terrorism links.”’

Mr Ashby also said One Nation “strongly supports the rights of lawful gun ownership within Australia and have clearly outlined our policy on our website.”

Two months after the meeting with the NRA, Senator Hanson spoke in favour of a bill which banned foreign donations for more than $250 for Australian political parties.

“Overseas money should not have an influence on our political scene, so I believe that foreign donations should be totally stopped,” Ms Hanson said.

“It’s good that something is going to be done about foreign donations into political parties, but does it go far enough and is it really going to stop it?

“Foreign donations could actually go through Australian subsidiary companies here in Australia, is that going to be picked up?”

That bill was later passed with One Nation’s support.

But before foreign donations were clamped down on, Mr Ashby was filmed saying he wanted to help “rally” gun supporters in Australia and “get my hands on” NRA campaigning software.

“If the NRA want to rally their supporters within Australia, that’s one start,” Mr Ashby said.

“Two, I’d love to get my hands on their software. And three, if they can help us with donations, super.”

Mr Ashby has been banned from parliament after he had a physical scuffle with NSW United Australia Party senator Brian Burston in Parliament House.

Senator Hanson’s office and Mr Ashby have been approached for comment.

Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said Senator Hanson must “front the cameras” to explain the One Nation videos, but would not state if the government should preference One Nation last.

“Did she sanction One Nation going to the US and seeking $20m in foreign donations? Does Pauline Hanson sanction a weakening of Australia’s gun laws in the wake of the Christchurch massacre?” he told Sky News.

“We know already from their migration policies, we know from their trade policies, that One Nation is a risk to our nation. And this is just another reminder in which these kinds of minor parties are a risk.”

Attorney General Christian Porter said there was a “real question to be asked” if One Nation breached any Australian laws in seeking money from the NRA.

“I’m sure that that question will be thoroughly considered and investigated, I’m not

investigating it, but I think that there is a real question that needs to be answered here,” he told ABC News.

Mr Porter would also not state if One Nation should be put last on Liberal tickets, and that he would want to be supporters of far-right senator Fraser Anning last.

“I have a marginal electorate. One Nation will likely run there. I think that the sensible time at

which to make a decision as to which can date we’d like to see last is after nominations when you know who all of the candidates are,” he told ABC News.

“It’s not inconceivable. If a Fraser Anning type of person was in my seat, that is the person that I would like to see put last.”