SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Lev Parnas arrives at Federal Court on December 17, 2019 in New York City. (Photo: Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)
In Explosive Interviews, Giuliani Sidekick Lev Parnas Says Trump 'Lied' and 'Knew Exactly What Was Going On'
"It was all about Joe Biden, Hunter Biden. It was never about corruption."
Jan 15, 2020
Lev Parnas, a close associate of President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, claimed in a series of interviews that aired on Wednesday and Thursday that the president and top aides were aware of and on board with the plot to use Ukraine to torpedo former Vice President Joe Biden's chances in the 2020 election.
Parnas made the claims on MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show, CNN's New Day, and to the New York Times.
"I am betting my whole life that Trump knew exactly everything that was going on that Rudy Giuliani was doing in Ukraine," Parnas told the Times.
Giuliani sent Parnas and Parnas' associate Igor Fruman to Ukraine in February 2019 to dig up dirt on Biden and his son Hunter and Hunter's role in Ukrainian gas firm Burisma. The pair collected as much information as they could for Giuliani and then returned to the U.S., Parnas said.
\u201c"He lied," Parnas says of President Trump's denial that he knows him. "He knew exactly who we were. He knew exactly who I was especially because I interacted with him at a lot of events... I was with Rudy when he would speak to the president \u2014 plenty of times."\u201d— MSNBC (@MSNBC) 1579140340
"It was all about Joe Biden, Hunter Biden," Parnas said in the MSNBC interview. "It was never about corruption. It was never--it was strictly about Burisma, which included Hunter Biden and Joe Biden."
As the Times reported, Parnas was certain that the president was on board with the scheme:
During the interview with the Times, as well as in a taped interview Mr. Parnas gave on Wednesday to the MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, Mr. Parnas emphasized that he was always acting on behalf of Mr. Trump and Mr. Giuliani.
When asked by the Times how he knew that Mr. Trump was aware of the pressure campaign, he said that Mr. Giuliani assured him that was the case.
"President Trump knew exactly what was going on," Parnas told MSNBC. "He was aware of all of my movements. I wouldn't do anything without the consent of Rudy Giuliani or the president."
Parnas also said that Attorney General Bill Barr, Vice President Mike Pence, and former National Security Advisor John Bolton were involved in and aware of the plot.
Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), one of the impeachment managers in the House, was also in on the scheme, Parnas said.
"He knew what was happening," said Parnas. "He knows who I am."
The White House has denied Parnas' allegations. That denial did not convince progressive advocacy group Indivisible.
"At this point, is there anyone we shouldn't impeach?" Indivisible tweeted.
\u201cAt this point, is there anyone we shouldn't impeach? This interview is one for the history books.\u201d— Indivisible Guide (@Indivisible Guide) 1579143256
Some observers, however, urged caution on taking Parnas' claims at face value.
"I would be skeptical of anything Parnas says that isn't substantiated with evidence," tweeted The Atlantic's Adam Serwer. "There appears to be a lot of it, though."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Lev Parnas, a close associate of President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, claimed in a series of interviews that aired on Wednesday and Thursday that the president and top aides were aware of and on board with the plot to use Ukraine to torpedo former Vice President Joe Biden's chances in the 2020 election.
Parnas made the claims on MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show, CNN's New Day, and to the New York Times.
"I am betting my whole life that Trump knew exactly everything that was going on that Rudy Giuliani was doing in Ukraine," Parnas told the Times.
Giuliani sent Parnas and Parnas' associate Igor Fruman to Ukraine in February 2019 to dig up dirt on Biden and his son Hunter and Hunter's role in Ukrainian gas firm Burisma. The pair collected as much information as they could for Giuliani and then returned to the U.S., Parnas said.
\u201c"He lied," Parnas says of President Trump's denial that he knows him. "He knew exactly who we were. He knew exactly who I was especially because I interacted with him at a lot of events... I was with Rudy when he would speak to the president \u2014 plenty of times."\u201d— MSNBC (@MSNBC) 1579140340
"It was all about Joe Biden, Hunter Biden," Parnas said in the MSNBC interview. "It was never about corruption. It was never--it was strictly about Burisma, which included Hunter Biden and Joe Biden."
As the Times reported, Parnas was certain that the president was on board with the scheme:
During the interview with the Times, as well as in a taped interview Mr. Parnas gave on Wednesday to the MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, Mr. Parnas emphasized that he was always acting on behalf of Mr. Trump and Mr. Giuliani.
When asked by the Times how he knew that Mr. Trump was aware of the pressure campaign, he said that Mr. Giuliani assured him that was the case.
"President Trump knew exactly what was going on," Parnas told MSNBC. "He was aware of all of my movements. I wouldn't do anything without the consent of Rudy Giuliani or the president."
Parnas also said that Attorney General Bill Barr, Vice President Mike Pence, and former National Security Advisor John Bolton were involved in and aware of the plot.
Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), one of the impeachment managers in the House, was also in on the scheme, Parnas said.
"He knew what was happening," said Parnas. "He knows who I am."
The White House has denied Parnas' allegations. That denial did not convince progressive advocacy group Indivisible.
"At this point, is there anyone we shouldn't impeach?" Indivisible tweeted.
\u201cAt this point, is there anyone we shouldn't impeach? This interview is one for the history books.\u201d— Indivisible Guide (@Indivisible Guide) 1579143256
Some observers, however, urged caution on taking Parnas' claims at face value.
"I would be skeptical of anything Parnas says that isn't substantiated with evidence," tweeted The Atlantic's Adam Serwer. "There appears to be a lot of it, though."
From Your Site Articles
Lev Parnas, a close associate of President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, claimed in a series of interviews that aired on Wednesday and Thursday that the president and top aides were aware of and on board with the plot to use Ukraine to torpedo former Vice President Joe Biden's chances in the 2020 election.
Parnas made the claims on MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show, CNN's New Day, and to the New York Times.
"I am betting my whole life that Trump knew exactly everything that was going on that Rudy Giuliani was doing in Ukraine," Parnas told the Times.
Giuliani sent Parnas and Parnas' associate Igor Fruman to Ukraine in February 2019 to dig up dirt on Biden and his son Hunter and Hunter's role in Ukrainian gas firm Burisma. The pair collected as much information as they could for Giuliani and then returned to the U.S., Parnas said.
\u201c"He lied," Parnas says of President Trump's denial that he knows him. "He knew exactly who we were. He knew exactly who I was especially because I interacted with him at a lot of events... I was with Rudy when he would speak to the president \u2014 plenty of times."\u201d— MSNBC (@MSNBC) 1579140340
"It was all about Joe Biden, Hunter Biden," Parnas said in the MSNBC interview. "It was never about corruption. It was never--it was strictly about Burisma, which included Hunter Biden and Joe Biden."
As the Times reported, Parnas was certain that the president was on board with the scheme:
During the interview with the Times, as well as in a taped interview Mr. Parnas gave on Wednesday to the MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, Mr. Parnas emphasized that he was always acting on behalf of Mr. Trump and Mr. Giuliani.
When asked by the Times how he knew that Mr. Trump was aware of the pressure campaign, he said that Mr. Giuliani assured him that was the case.
"President Trump knew exactly what was going on," Parnas told MSNBC. "He was aware of all of my movements. I wouldn't do anything without the consent of Rudy Giuliani or the president."
Parnas also said that Attorney General Bill Barr, Vice President Mike Pence, and former National Security Advisor John Bolton were involved in and aware of the plot.
Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), one of the impeachment managers in the House, was also in on the scheme, Parnas said.
"He knew what was happening," said Parnas. "He knows who I am."
The White House has denied Parnas' allegations. That denial did not convince progressive advocacy group Indivisible.
"At this point, is there anyone we shouldn't impeach?" Indivisible tweeted.
\u201cAt this point, is there anyone we shouldn't impeach? This interview is one for the history books.\u201d— Indivisible Guide (@Indivisible Guide) 1579143256
Some observers, however, urged caution on taking Parnas' claims at face value.
"I would be skeptical of anything Parnas says that isn't substantiated with evidence," tweeted The Atlantic's Adam Serwer. "There appears to be a lot of it, though."
From Your Site Articles
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.