Clive Palmer suggests Steven Bannon hoped to ‘increase influence’ by claiming credit for 2019 election ads

Clive Palmer has denied that Steve Bannon directed his advertising blitz in the 2019 federal election. According to Palmer, he spoke with Bannon once, when he mistakenly believed him to be a potential donor, and never communicated with Jeffrey Epstein, who was convicted of sex offenses. The claims about the strategy were revealed in texts published in the Jeffrey Epstein files, which Palmer suggests were an attempt by Bannon to "increase his own influence" by claiming credit for the work. Palmer maintains that he has no connection to Epstein and only had a brief phone call with Bannon. The alleged direction of Palmer's advertising efforts was first reported in the Epstein files.