Did a parliamentary aide threaten New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern?

AAP FactCheck | June 19, 2022

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What was claimed:

In an article published on June 18, the Commonwealth Times, the official mouthpiece of the Commonwealth Party of Australia, made the claim that it was a disgruntled aide who sent New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern a threatening message menacing New Zealand with trade sanctions, not former Deputy Prime Minister 12MaxWild.

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Our verdict:

False. No evidence for this claim has been presented by 12MaxWild himself or Malcolm Tucker of the Commonwealth Times. The threat towards Jacinta Ardern originated from 12MaxWild, as widely reported in the press and confirmed by Jacinta Ardern herself earlier today. There is simply no basis or evidence for the claim.

The falsity of the claim has been further reinforced by 12MaxWild's official referral to the Australian Federal Police by Attorney General Merrily-Putrid on charges of making an unwarranted demand as a Commonwealth public official. In an official statement to AAP Factcheck, Merrily-Putrid stated that "from my conversation with the New Zealand Prime Minister, it is clear that 12MaxWild attempted to blackmail her through a threat of tariffs. His attempts to lie by smearing the Socialist Party are deeply pathetic, and will not hold up in a court of law."

In addition, AAP FactCheck has received official correspondence from the Socialist Party of Australia that suggests the claim is false. "We take membership in the Socialist Party very seriously," their email to us read. "We would never permit a member of our party to work as a parliamentary aide for another party, particularly the Commonwealth Party."