Senator’s bombshell claim about Labor senator

Senator Linda Reynolds made a bombshell claim about her former colleague, Labor senator Kimberley Kitching during her blockbuster defamation trial against Brittany Higgins.

Senator Reynolds is suing Ms Higgins and her husband David Sharaz over social media posts the couple made in 2022 and 2023.

The posts were critical of Ms Reynolds’ handling of Ms Higgins’ allegation she was raped in Parliament house in 2019 by her then-colleague Bruce Lehrmann.

Mr Lehrmann pleaded not guilty to rape and faced trial in 2022, but the trial was aborted due to juror misconduct.

The charge was dropped and Mr Lehrmann continues to maintain his innocence.

During her second day of evidence, Senator Reynolds asked to take a break after her blood pressure spiked recalling a conversation she had with Senator Kitching.

“This is a particularly emotional point because it led to Senator’s Kitching’s death,” Senator Reynolds told the court.

She said Senator Kitching approached her in February 2021 to apologise about something she was about to tell her.

Senator Reynolds told the court Senator Kitching informed her Labor knew about the incident in her office and they were going to “rain hell” on her.

Senator Reynolds said she could not understand why anybody would “weaponise such an incident” in parliament.

“I still can’t find the words to describe, even for Labor they pull some pretty nasty stunts, but this I found hard to believe,” she said.

The senator said her senate colleague claimed she had been sent an anonymous letter about the mishandling of a situation in the building.

Senator Reynolds told the court Senator Kitching decided to give the letter to the AFP, and the Labor Party had found out about the incident through a parliamentary inquiry.

The court was told Senator Penny Wong was incredibly angry with Senator Kitching because she gave the letter to the AFP and not the party.

“Kimberley was genuinely angered and upset by what Penny Wong had said,” Senator Reynolds said.

“I went back and told my chief of staff and was a bit incredulous they would contemplate doing such a thing.”

The senator said she then made a time to meet with the Prime Minister’s Office because they should know that Labor was planning to attack her and the Liberal Party.

During her evidence, Senator Reynolds Ms Higgins’ allegations caused a media frenzy.

The court was told hundreds of articles were published and her office was bombarded with media queries that continued for days.

She said there were no words to describe how it felt being accused of covering up the rape of a young woman in her office, claims which the senator says are untrue.

“I found it almost impossible to process mentally, all of a sudden, in the space of a couple of days I had gone from a senator doing my job and doing it well to a person who was nationally vilified for doing something so despicable.”

She told the court at the time she became increasingly distressed and was experiencing heart pain.

“I couldn’t go on, I couldn’t read what was on the paper, everything was blurry,” she said.

“My knees started buckling, I went out of the room to the anti-chamber room, that’s just for senators.

“I made my way in there and sat on the couch and just started sobbing uncontrollably.

“One of my colleagues came in and was trying to console me, but I was in incredible chest pain, and was completely incoherent.

“Mentally I just had nothing left.”

The senator told the court the Prime Minister came and sat with her showing her compassion, and over the course of their conversation her heart pain settled down.

“My breakdown was publicised, the thing about parliament is that you never show weakness you are expected to tough it out,” she said.

“In addition to everything that was going on I had this humiliation about collapsing in front of the nation, the defence minister of the nation.”

The trial continues.