A senator in Australia has apologized for smearing his own blood on a colleague's office door following a bizarre late-night fight with a senior aide.
Senator Brian Burston fought with James Ashby, chief of staff for Senator Pauline Hanson on Wednesday evening. Hanson is leader of the far-right One Nation Party, of which Burston was formerly a member.
It came as part of a chaotic 24 hours in Australian politics, in which Burston and Hanson made sexual harassment allegations against one another.
The two men clashed inside Parliament House after a dinner with representatives from the minerals industry, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. After reviewing footage of the fight, Senate President Scott Ryan—who is responsible for security—revoked Ashby's parliamentary pass.
Ryan explained he had revoked Ashby's pass as all senators "must be free to go about their work in this building," the BBC reported. Ashby demanded a full investigation into the incident.
The footage showed the two men pushing each other and grappling, though Burston told the Senate the video did not depict the full violence of the clash. The 70-year-old senator then reportedly marked Hanson's door with blood from an injury sustained in the fracas.
Burston said he was ambushed by Ashby, but later explained: "I told him to fuck off. I lost it. I grabbed him and I pushed him up against the wall."
On Thursday, Burston initially denied he had smeared the blood on Hanson's door, the Herald noted. "Ashby probably did it himself. I've got no idea," he said. "I don't recall how I got back from [Parliament House cafe] Aussie's to here [his office]."
But he later admitted he was the culprit. "Whilst I do not recall the incident of blood on the door, I now have come to the conclusion that it was myself, and I sincerely apologize for that action," he told fellow senators, sporting a bandaged hand.
Asked whether he would resign over the scandal, Burston replied. "Why would I? I barely even remember it. I was traumatized." The senator said he intended to report Ashby to the police and take out a restraining order against him.
Before the fight on Wednesday, Hanson accused an unnamed senator—later revealed to be Burston—of sexually harassing at least six members of staff. "This gutless wonder we call senator should hang his head in shame," Hanson told the Senate.
The Guardian reported it had seen one such complaint, made late last year. The female complainant said Burston approached her when she was upset and asked if he could "fuck" her "to make things better."
A spokesperson for Burston dismissed the allegation, claiming a 70-year-old man would not use the world "fuck." His wife, Ros, also said, "My husband never says fuck."
Burston then accused Hanson herself of sexual harassment, claiming she ran her hands up his back during a rendition of the national anthem, an accusation she quickly denied.
Appearing on Sky News Wednesday night, Hanson said, "I might be 64 but I'm not that desperate. These are allegations that have been made up, there are no truth to them whatsoever and I feel sorry for his wife, I really feel sorry for his wife."
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