It is the world’s largest conservative event, and having succeeded in returning Donald Trump to the presidency, some are setting their sights on Down Under.
The National Anti-Corruption Commission has issued a rare statement advising that a referral involving teal MP Zoe Daniel did not raise any issue of corruption.
"The essential issue raised by the referral was a suggestion that Commonwealth resources under Ms Daniel's control (ie, a parliamentary staffer) may have been misused by or on behalf of a parliamentarian, to lobby on behalf of a donor," the NACC said in a statement on Thursday.
The NACC said it had assessed the referral "to determine whether it raises a corruption issue that the commission can investigate", and had concluded that no such issue arose.
Ms Daniel, the independent member for Goldstein who won her seat in 2022, welcomed the finding and urged the commission to "call out" the misuse of its function for political purposes.
"Vexatious or politically motivated referrals undermine the NACC and waste its time and resources," she said.
"I hope the people of Goldstein see this episode for what it was - a deliberate dirty tactic by a Liberal Party operative to tarnish my reputation to prevent me winning my seat."
In October, a former Liberal MP made a referral to the NACC over allegations that a staffer believed to be working for Ms Daniel had lobbied the Australian Financial Review to withdraw billionaire Climate 200 founder Simon Holmes a Court from its annual AFR Power List.
The former MP is understood to be Jason Falinski, who lost his seat of Mackellar to independent MP Sophie Scamps at the 2022 election and is now the NSW Liberal Party president.
Political editor Phil Coorey had reported that independent Wentworth MP Allegra Spender walked into the newspaper's Canberra press gallery bureau to request that Mr Holmes a Court be scrubbed from the list and that a staffer from Ms Daniel's office "had already rung with the same request".
The NACC found the person was not a staffer, but a consultant acting on behalf of a third party, which The Canberra Times has confirmed to be Climate 200.
The individual had ceased being employed by Ms Daniel as a parliamentary staffer and now worked as a consultant, with both the MP and the political donations aggregator as clients.
The alleged approach to the AFR "was not made with Ms Daniel's knowledge or authority", the NACC said.
Ms Daniel had engaged her former staffer to provide part-time consulting services through her private not-for-profit company, meaning there was no use of Commonwealth resources.
The independent MP said in a statement on Thursday that she had run for office in 2022 "because I believe that the people of Goldstein and Australia deserve a better type of politics built on honesty, respect, integrity and trust."
"A robust and effective National Anti-Corruption Commission is an essential pillar in rebuilding that trust in government," she said.
"I will continue to practise a different kind of politics, and to fight, work and act on behalf of the people of Goldstein and Australia for the values we all deserve; accountability, transparency and honesty."
The MP faces a challenge from former Liberal member for Goldstein Tim Wilson, who is campaigning to win back the seat at the federal election due by May.
The NACC noted that the consultant "disputes the accuracy of the AFR report of the substance of their representations", but said it was "unnecessary for present purposes to resolve that dispute as the outcome is the same".
It is understood the consultant phoned one of Mr Coorey's colleagues at the AFR to convey on behalf of Climate 200 that Mr Holmes a Court did not think he should be on the Power List.
The NACC said the commission was aware of media reporting of the referral in October and was "making this public statement because the referral is in the public domain, being satisfied that it is in the public interest to do so."
"Ms Daniel has fully co-operated with the commission," the statement said.
"The matter is now closed and the commission will not be making further comment on it."
