Read Bruce Lehrmann’s extraordinary jab at Brittany Higgins’ leaked book, after the Daily Mail revealed how it compared to Tibetan monks setting themselves on fire.
- Brittany Higgins’ Leaked Book Was Titled #NotJustADaughter
- He talked about Christmas parties and alcohol-fuelled events.
Brittany Higgins’ book was tentatively titled #NotJustADaughter
Bruce Lehrmann launched an extraordinary attack on the leaked memories of Brittany Higgins, calling them “fantasy”.
Lehrmann issued the scathing statement Monday night in response to questions about Ms. Higgins’ draft of the book, tentatively titled #NotJustADaughter.
The raw manuscript, obtained exclusively by Daily Mail Australia, details a series of observations and comments about former MPs, talks about angry Christmas parties, the privileges granted to employees and alcohol-fueled Question Time rituals.
Speaking about the months after she went public with her allegations against Mr. Lehrmann, Ms. Higgins also compared herself to monks who committed suicide by fire during the Vietnam War, noting: “I felt like I had set myself on fire.” It was a public self-immolation protest.
In his statement on Monday, first reported by Sky News Australia, Mr Lehrmann said: ‘I have never been into fiction or fantasy novels, I prefer non-fiction and books based on true events.
“I can highly recommend Margaret Cunneen SC’s biography, The Boxing Butterfly,” he added, referring to a book written by a leading defense lawyer and former New South Wales crown prosecutor.
Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting that Ms Higgins made false claims in her draft, simply that Mr Lehrmann denies her claims.
Ms Higgins has always maintained her allegations that Mr Lehrmann raped her in the Parliament House office of former Defense Minister Linda Reynolds in March 2019. Similarly, Mr Lehrmann has always denied the allegations.
Bruce Lehrmann (pictured) slammed Brittany Higgins’ leaked book in a statement Monday
His statement on Monday also addressed rumors about his political ambitions, after he updated his Instagram bio in early July to say he was a “Wentworth legacy potential Liberal MP.”
The update was a jab at a comment Ms Higgins made during a conversation with Lisa Wilkinson in January 2021: she said he was an ‘inherited’ Liberal staffer who would ‘eventually run for a seat’.
He mentioned the Wentworth headquarters as a possibility, which is located in the eastern suburbs of Sydney.
Mr Lehrmann said on Monday: “Although I come from the country of New South Wales, I am flattered and amused by the prospect.”
‘Politics 101 is never to rule out or dismiss anything, that’s why the PM and MPs can do ten backflips and get away with it.
While not mentioned in Lisa Wilkinson’s interview with Brittany Higgins (pictured together), Mr Lehrmann argues that her identity would have been known in political circles.
“But if the good people of Wentworth need help cleaning up a long and unfortunate period in which Malcolm Turnbull and a Teal candidate represent them, then I’m around.”
Mr Lehrmann’s trial was canceled in October 2022 due to jury misconduct and prosecutors later dropped the charges amid concerns about the impact a second trial could have on Ms Higgins’ mental health.
He was not named during The Project’s interview with Ms Higgins, but he filed a libel suit over the interview against the network and Wilkinson in March.
He claims he was smeared because former colleagues and people in parliamentary circles were able to identify him as the alleged rapist.
The former political staffer is also suing ABC for airing a speech Ms Higgins made to the National Press Club.
That case is scheduled for a hearing in November.
