Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has refused to comment directly on former US President Donald Trump’s conviction.
He said it is a “matter for the US.”
Mr Trump was recently convicted of 34 felony counts related to falsifying business records to cover up payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election.
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Despite the legal proceedings against Trump, Albanese assured that Australia’s relationship with the US is stable.
“I’m certainly not worried about our relationship with the United States because it’s a relationship between our peoples based upon shared values of democratic principles,” Mr Albanese said on Friday.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong also avoided commenting on Mr Trump and said the US-Australia relationship would remain “strong”.
Trump’s conviction does not disqualify him from running for president again under US law, making it possible for him to appear on the November 5 ballots.
Mr Albanese acknowledged the significant public interest in the verdict.
“This is a decision of the US court that we don’t comment on, where we’re not participants in court processes of other countries,” he said.
When asked if Trump would be allowed to visit Australia with a criminal conviction, Mr Albanese replied, “I’m not going down that rabbit hole.”
Trump’s sentencing is scheduled for July 11.
He faces fines up to $7,500 and a maximum of four years in prison for each of the 34 felony counts.
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