Andrew Hastie became a special forces soldier in part because of his admiration for Ben Roberts-Smith, but now believes he is a bully and may be a war criminal, the federal MP has told a court.
Mr Hastie was called to give evidence in defamation proceedings launched by the Victoria Cross recipient over allegations he committed war crimes in Afghanistan, bullied colleagues, and assaulted his mistress.
The 43-year-old denies all the allegations reported by The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times, who are defending them as true.
