Clive Palmer denies Steve Bannon’s claim he was behind billionaire’s controversial 2019 Australian election ad strategy | Steve Bannon

A spokesman for Australian billionaire Clive Palmer has denied claims by far-right political strategist Steve Bannon that he was behind Palmer’s controversial $60 million advertising strategy in the 2019 federal election.

The alleged written conversation between Bannon and an unidentified individual, convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was among some of the documents released by the US Department of Justice in connection with Epstein.

Showing a version of the conversation Bannon is talking to a person Whose identity was corrected? separate fileThe email containing the same conversation shows that the other participant had an email account linked to Epstein.

Bannon, a Donald Trump loyalist and disinformation supporter who ran the US president’s 2016 election campaign, said in messages sent two days after the 2019 Australian election: “I had Clive Palmer do $60 million worth of anti-China and climate change ads.”

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The claim made by Bannon has not yet been tested and was dismissed as “nonsense” by Palmer’s spokesman on Sunday.

The 2019 federal election was marked by a significant increase in online misinformation and an unprecedented advertising blitz by Palmer’s United Australia party.

On election night, Palmer said he had changed his strategy in the final weeks of the campaign to “polarise voters” and damage Labour’s chances of winning.

Scott Morrison’s Coalition government is back despite polls consistently showing a Labor victory.

In chats in the days after the election, the account linked to Epstein comments that published polls failed to predict the outcome and compares the Australian election to “your last round.”

The account claiming to be Bannon responds to Palmer for allegedly running ads about China and climate change.

One Interview with Sydney Morning Herald During the campaign — about a week before Palmer changed ad spending — Bannon called the campaign boring and said he was surprised there was no reference to China.

“There needs to be a really intense discussion on this issue,” he said.

“They are trying to make the choice based on national security, and it has to be tied to China.

“Rebel parties are supposed to create intensity, but they don’t.”

During the campaign, Palmer ran a two-minute ad attacking Labor and claiming that “communist China” was trying to “secretly take over our country”.

Labour’s election review cited “bizarre” claims when concluding that Palmer’s ads “had a significant adverse impact”. [Labor leader] “On Bill Shorten’s popularity and Labor’s primary vote”.

“Following a preference agreement with the Coalition, Clive Palmer combined $70 million in advertising spend with the Liberal Party in the final two weeks of the campaign, shifting his attack to Bill Shorten as ‘Shifty Shorten’ and a bizarre claim in Western Australia that the McGowan Government sold an airport to China for $1.00,” the election review said.

“Palmer’s advertising blitz strongly amplified the Coalition’s anti-Labor message to economically insecure, low-income voters. In focus groups of soft voters, Palmer was described in the most derogatory terms, helping to explain the weak votes he and his party received, but his attack on Shorten damaged Shorten’s leadership standing.”

Palmer’s media spokesman, Andrew Crook, responded to Bannon’s allegations of involvement via text message on Sunday.

“This is fabricated. It’s just nonsense,” he said.

Bannon has been contacted for comment.