Pauline Hanson's Port Arthur comments surprised undercover reporters

Pauline Hanson is preparing to front the media over a scandal engulfing her One Nation party, after two senior officials were caught talking about asking the American gun lobby for $US20 million.

Senator Hanson is also facing serious questions of her own after appearing to insinuate the 1996 Port Arthur massacre was a government conspiracy.

Hidden camera footage, released by Al Jazeera as part of an undercover operation, showed her saying she had "a lot of questions" about Port Arthur.

The undercover journalism team who secretly filmed Senator Hanson were taken by surprise by the comments.

Al Jazeera executive producer Peter Charles led an investigation that involved meeting with the One Nation leader at a restaurant in central Queensland.

Senator Hanson said she had "a lot of questions" about Port Arthur.

"An MP said it would actually take a massacre in Tasmania to change the gun laws in Australian," Hanson was filmed saying.

"Haven't you heard that? Take a look at it. It was said on the floor of parliament."

Senator Hanson said she did not go to the US because it was not "politically smart".

"I have to actually take these baby steps," she said.

"I have to actually get more people elected to parliament, which I will after this next federal election.

"Get more people elected and then these are things that can be looked at."

Mr Charles told Today he had no idea what was going to unfold when journalist Rodger Muller met with Senator Hanson.

"There was a wide-ranging discussion about guns, whether there should be more guns in Australia," he said.

"It was in the context of that discussion that she came up with this. It caught us by surprise."

Mr Charles said he could only imagine how survivors of Port Arthur feel about Senator Hanson's remarks.

"We interviewed someone who survived the Port Arthur massacre for this investigation," he said.

"I imagine she'd be feeling quite hurt at the moment."

Senator Hanson responded on Twitter by slamming Senator Hanson itself.

"A Qatari government organisation should not be targeting Australian political parties," she wrote.

"This has been referred to ASIO."

The years-long investigation also caught One Nation chief-of-staff James Ashby appealing to the US gun lobby for millions of dollars in campaign donations.

Mr Ashby said his comments were made after a "few drinks".

But Mr Charles said Mr Ashby was not drunk when he was filmed making the remarks.

"He's certainly may have had a drink or two that night he didn't appear drunk to me," Mr Charles said.

"He was stone cold sober as was Dickson in multiple other meetings."

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said being drunk was no excuse.

"Being drunk is no excuse for trading away Australia's gun laws to foreign bidders," Mr Morrison said yesterday.

Senator Derryn Hinch described One Nation's actions as "absolutely abominable" and "almost treasonous".

"There's almost a Pauline Hanson fan club," he told ABC radio this morning.

"Maybe it won't hurt their voters, the way they vote, but it should, because this shoot the messenger stuff that's come out from Dickson and James Ashby is a disgrace."

Australian campaign donation rules were changed last year, so no US gun lobby money ended up being given to One Nation.

Senator Hanson is currently recovering from a tick-bite, but is expected to address the media today.

Thirty-five people were murdered in the Port Arthur massacre by a single gunman in 1996.

Martin Bryant is serving a life sentence in a Tasmanian prison.

In the aftermath of the massacre, strict new gun regulations were introduced in Australia.