Andrew Bolt accuses Malcolm Turnbull of going behind his back

Andrew Bolt has delivered a swipe at Malcolm Turnbull, accusing the PM of speaking to his bosses.

Andrew Bolt has accused the Prime Minister of trying to have him muzzled. Picture: AAP

Leading broadcaster-commentator Andrew Bolt has accused Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull of making an “attempt to intimidate me or shut me up” after taking exception to his role in the recent controversy surrounding Coalition MP George Christensen.

Speaking on The Bolt Report this evening, Bolt, who is also a News Corp columnist, claimed Turnbull refuses to go on his weeknights Sky News show, and instead goes “behind my back to my bosses”.

BOLT: Prime Minister, you can try to get my bosses to shut me up, but the voters will still know you are destroying the Liberal Party. Live now on @SkyNewsAust pic.twitter.com/OvxM411BZN

— The Bolt Report (@theboltreport) December 4, 2017

“Malcolm Turnbull did that over the weekend not just once, he wants revenge because I last month reported a fact,” Bolt said.

“A Coalition MP who did not want me to name him would resign from the government if Turnbull was not sacked as prime minister this week. A threat like that is news. I reported it, it would have been strange had I not.”

News Corp, publisher of The Australian, would neither confirm nor deny whether Mr Turnbull had complained to the publisher’s executives.

Bolt’s comments come after it emerged that Mr Christensen had told him, Sky News commentator Peta Credlin and ex-Liberal crossbencher Cory Bernardi that he was prepared to quit the government if Mr Turnbull was still prime minister by the time parliament rose for Christmas.

Mr Christensen asked the trio to spread the word without using his name, according to Bolt.

Following the revelations, Mr Christensen admitted to The Australian that he was the unnamed MP threatening to quit.

“It was wrong to lie to you but I felt I did not want my name public at that stage,” he told this paper.

“It was wrong though and I sincerely apologise for my actions.”

“As it happens, events of the past week have changed everything.”

Mr Christensen changed his mind about leaving the Coalition as a result of Turnbull’s U-turn on a banking royal commission.

On Sky News this evening, Bolt said he would not be “muzzled” by Turnbull.

“The Prime Minister now accuses me behind my back of colluding with Christensen to destroy him ... and my boss should bring me into line. I have a message for the Prime Minister, first of all your threats will never work while I am here I will say what I think.

“Prime Minister, you can try and get my bosses to shut me up, you can get your media pets to attack me, you can do all that but voters will still know what they know and will still vote as they decide and you are destroying the Liberal Party.”