Trump campaign chief tells undercover reporters he advised Liberal party ahead of election

Footage of the undercover conversations between veteran Republican strategist Chris LaCivita and undercover reporters shows LaCivita claiming he visited Australia to advise the Liberal party ahead of the election. LaCivita says he made an unpublicised visit to Australia to advise the Liberal party about 'structural issues' related to Peter Dutton. 'I was in Australia two weeks ago helping the Liberal party there, on some of their structural issues that they were having with Peter Dutton,' LaCivita says on 16 April in the first of two calls. The footage was published on Thursday by the Europe-based organisations Correctiv and the Centre for Climate Reporting. A Coalition spokesman has denied LaCivita had any connection to the Dutton campaign. In a statement, LaCivita told Guardian Australia: 'I did not and do not work for the Liberal Party of Australia. I provide consulting to a wide variety of business interests – some in Australia some in the US etc in terms of a political party – I have not. Also, I have never met Mr Dutton, but I hope to when he is elected prime minister.'