Soldier-Senator Who Praised Putin Set to Survive Aussie Vote
- Jacqui Lambie likely to buck Turnbull’s July 2 Senate purge
- Composition of Senate the great unknown in coming election
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After taking her seat in the Australian Senate nearly two years ago, independent lawmaker Jacqui Lambie used her first months to warn of a Chinese communist invasion and praise President Vladimir Putin for his “no-nonsense attitude.”
The former soldier’s comments lit a media blowtorch. But Lambie’s winsome candor has proved such a hit with voters in her home state of Tasmania that she appears likely to overcome Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s attempt to clear out such independent lawmakers and reset parliament in the July 2 election.