Former treasurer Joe Hockey has stoked controversy with his comments about voter fraud in the US election,despite no such allegations from US authorities.Credit:Evelyn Hockstein
The two leaders did not name Donald Trump or his false claim of"major fraud"on election night but they emphasised the strength of US democratic institutions in deciding the outcome.
But Mr Albanese rebuked Mr Hockey,the former Australian ambassador to the US,for claiming fraud in parts of the election including in Washington DC,where voters backed Democrat candidate Joe Biden by almost 93 per cent.
While Mr Hockey said the 93 per cent result was"hard to believe",previous elections have shown similar support for Democrat candidates in the capital.
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Asked on radio station 2GB whether there was fraud in the US election,Mr Hockey said:"Oh,for sure. The question is whether it is enough to change the election outcome – and I doubt it is,but absolutely."
Mr Hockey prefaced his remarks by pointing to thousands of different US authorities involved in the election and the"complete dog’s breakfast"of voting systems and counts across the country.
But his claim of fraud was instantly controversial amid widespread anxiety over Mr Trump’s assertion of fraud and likely legal challenge to the official result,threatening months of turmoil over American leadership.