Andrew Hastie doubles down on Pauline Hanson attack after traitor label, Barnaby Joyce, Jacqui Lambie chime in

Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie has doubled down on his attacks on Pauline Hanson after a social media post from the One Nation leader labelled him as a traitor.

The former special forces soldier said Senator Hanson and One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce were “lying cowards” after a cartoon video was posted to Senator Hanson’s X account which took aim at Mr Hastie.

Mr Hastie also challenged the party to remove the video, which remains pinned to the top of Senator Hanson’s profile.

The WA-based MP accused the party of politicising the court proceedings of accused war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith and “trashing” his own service record.

The spat comes as the coalition seeks to nullify a surge of support for Senator Hanson’s populist party, which has split much of the right-wing vote especially in regional and rural Australia.

One Nation’s leader on Wednesday denied calling Mr Hastie a traitor, saying it was only a satirical cartoon and he was “making a mountain out of a molehill”.

But Mr Hastie, seen by some political commentators as a potential future leader of the Liberals, said the video had cast a “massive slur” on veterans across the country and would continue to call out Senator Hanson.

“It shows her to be weak and glass-jawed. I gave the opportunity to either own her words publicly, or to take it down, she chose neither,” he told ABC Radio on Thursday.

“Rather than stepping up as a leader, she claims she could be prime minister, she actually retreated back into cartoons and memes. So I think we’ve seen what Pauline Hanson ultimately is about. She’s not fit to govern this country.”

Independent Senator Jacqui Lambie, a veteran herself, called the cartoons “absolutely disgusting” and slammed the One Nation leader.

“It is an attack on a veteran. What she’s doing in those cartoons is absolutely disgusting. They are full of bloody violence. I mean, how people can watch that rubbish is beyond me,” she told Radio National.

“But attacking Andrew Hastie, a veteran that has served in our Afghanistan war, or any other veteran, is the lowest ebb you can possibly do. That woman is nothing less than a bloody coward. She always has been and she always will be.

“She wouldn’t last one day in that goddamn uniform. Leave our veterans alone, Hanson.”

Despite not being a returned veteran himself, opposition defence spokesperson James Patterson echoed similar sentiments.

“I’m conscious that I’ve not served a day in uniform, and like Pauline Hanson and James Ashby and most of One Nation, I would never dream of accusing someone who has served in uniform for our country of being a traitor,” he told News24.

“I think they should be ashamed of themselves, and I think Pauline Hanson showed real weakness last night in an interview with Chris Kenny where she refused to take responsibility for a cartoon which is pinned to the top of her X page, which she authorises, which she provides the voice over for.

“She refused to take responsibility. But she also refused to repeat those words about Andrew Hastie. I think that shows weakness and I think, frankly, she should toughen up and take responsibility.”

There has been tension between Mr Hastie and Senator Hanson since the Liberal MP was subpoenaed to testify in court against Roberts-Smith.

One of Senator Hanson’s closest supporters, billionaire mining magnate Gina Rinehart, has backed Roberts-Smith, and has named a planned housing complex for veterans in his honour.

Mr Hastie said he was not seeking legal action against Senator Hanson, citing concerns the One Nation leader had support from Australia’s richest person.

“Why would I walk into a fight that I can’t win financially,” he said.

The Liberal MP denied he was taking bait from One Nation following attacks and online criticism.

“I’ve already taken five months of abuse from these people, and this week is about drawing a line under it all,” he said.

Mr Joyce said he did not believe Mr Hastie was a traitor.

“I absolutely respect the services given to our nation, like my family, has given to the service of New Zealand and Australia. Democracy’s a robust thing,” he told reporters in Canberra.

“My door’s open if you want to talk about this. I don’t know why he thinks I’m a liar. I don’t quite know why he believes I lied about it.”