AFP will investigate `fake email:` Rudd

The Rudd government has come out swinging as it faces its biggest political crisis
by suggesting the Liberal Party is behind a fake email at the centre of the OzCar
affair.
The government has ordered the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to investigate
whether someone impersonated one of Mr Rudd's senior economic advisers, who's
accused of emailing a Treasury official on behalf of Ipswich car dealer John Grant.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has consistently denied he, or his office, made
representations on behalf of Mr Grant, a mate and Queensland neighbour.
The opposition and some newspapers claim to have seen the contents of an email from
Rudd adviser Andrew Charlton to OzCar boss Godwin Grech - but no one's produced a
hard copy yet.
Mr Rudd says it's time for Mr Turnbull to put up or shut up.
"Mr Turnbull has some grave questions to answer in relation to his own credibility
and integrity on this matter," the PM told reporters in Canberra.
The opposition leader claimed mid-week to be in possession of documentary evidence
that proved Mr Rudd's office lobbied on behalf of Mr Grant.
"Today Mr Turnbull is in full retreat on this claim," Mr Rudd said.
"How easy it is in the business of national politics simply to throw mud at people
and then, having thrown the mud, to run away."
Mr Turnbull admits he doesn't have an actual copy of the email, but insists the
Liberal Party didn't falsify it.
"The email was not provided to (the media) by anyone in the opposition ... and was
not composed by anyone in the opposition," Mr Turnbull said, adding the prime
minister was "trying to run a distraction as usual".
Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner isn't convinced.
He says the fact Mr Turnbull mentioned the email to Dr Charlton on Wednesday at the
press gallery ball means "it would appear likely that the Liberal Party is the
source".
If the email can't be produced, the case against Mr Rudd rests on the word of Mr Grech.
The Treasury official told a Senate inquiry on Friday he believed "the initial
contact that I had with respect to John Grant was from the prime minister's office
... in a short email".
Mr Tanner tried to discredit that testimony on Saturday, describing it as "confused
and vague".
"It's very odd that somebody would make an assertion of this kind where he's unable
to produce the email, and then he immediately says `But my memory could be wrong, I
may be in error in making that statement'," the finance minister told reporters.
Whether or not Treasurer Wayne Swan lied to parliament is less ambiguous.
The government itself has released a series of emails that show his office lobbied
on Mr Grant's behalf.
But the treasurer says he never denied passing on representations from Mr Grant -
only that he didn't know the outcome.
"I stand by the comments I made to parliament and nothing that has been raised in
the last 24 hours contradicts what I said to parliament," Mr Swan told reporters.
As to emails regarding Mr Grant being sent to Mr Swan's home fax in Brisbane, the
treasurer said Mr Grech simply hit a "reply all" button that automatically sent the
messages.
But Mr Turnbull said the fact Mr Swan helped Mr Grant in the first place meant he
had to go.
"He used the enormous influence of the commonwealth government to seek to secure an
advantage for a mate and benefactor of the prime minister," the opposition leader
said.
"He should tender his resignation."
The AFP criminal investigation will run concurrently with an auditor-general's
inquiry into any links between the PM's or the treasurer's office and Treasury
regarding Mr Grant.
Mr Rudd says Mr Turnbull should commit to "full cooperation" with the police inquiry.
He also wants his rival to explain who provided the contents of the "fake email" to
the opposition, who read it and what they did with it afterwards.