PM does not want QAnon friend ‘cancelled’

Scott Morrison has again struck out at “pretty ordinary” attempts to link him to a man involved in the QAnon conspiracy theory. Four Corners investigated his relationship with old friend Tim Stewart, who is deeply involved in the conspiracy cult. Mr Stewart bragged about getting the coded message “ritual sexual abuse” inserted into one of the prime minister’s speeches and his wife worked at Mr Morrison’s official residence until late last year. The pair celebrated New Year’s Eve together and were scheduled to be in Hawaii around the same time. Four Corners revealed Mr Stewart’s mother and sister were so concerned about his behaviour in relation to QAnon they twice contacted the national security hotline. The prime minister distanced himself from Mr Stewart, who he has known for several decades. “We’ve all got friends and we’ve all got acquaintances who have got views that we don’t share,” he told 2GB radio on Monday. “But you know, what do they expect us to do, to just sort of cancel people just because they have views different to ourselves? “I don’t support the views of QAnon, I barely even knew what it was until more recently, over the last year or so.” QAnon is a discredited, far-right, pro-Donald Trump conspiracy theory that believes Satanic and cannibalistic pedophiles run a global child sex-trafficking ring. Mr Morrison accused people of trying to attack him over what people he knew believed and said the investigation was “a bit of a long bow”. “I haven’t seen Tim for some time, I’m much closer to his wife, Jenny and I are long time friends of her,” he said. “I just think it’s a bit ordinary to drag other people into it. I’m the prime minister, hold me to account for my views.” He said people he knew were entitled to privacy regardless of whether people agreed with their views. “I certainly don’t agree with Tim’s views on those things at all,” Mr Morrison said. “He’s a (Cronulla) Sharkies support, I agree with him on that, but not on QAnon.” Australian Associated Press