Indicted Rudy Guiliani associate Lev Parnas is spilling the beans. He did interviews with MSNBC, CNN and the New York Times where he implicates Donald Trump and several members of his administration and others associated with the President.
Rachel Maddow writes that all these names came up during her interview with Parnas: Trump. Pence. Barr. Perry. Pompeo. Bolton. Nunes. Firtash.
DONALD TRUMP (and his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani)
Parnas’ statements all leave a trail that leads to Trump. The New York Times writes:
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.
Lev Parnas tells MSNBC that Trump "knew exactly what was going on" pic.twitter.com/6qzysF4KOO
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) January 15, 2020
Parnas also said his work was “to make sure he (Trump) had another four years.”
Lev Parnas, Rudy Giuliani's associate, said their efforts were "all about 2020."
"That was the way everyone viewed it," Parnas added, disputing Trump's claim that the push for investigating the Bidens stemmed from concerns about corruption in Ukraine. https://t.co/xhuMLPQFQM pic.twitter.com/EZGOZMPiIb
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) January 16, 2020
VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE
Parnas made it clear that the Vice President knew exactly what was going on as well.
Maddow: “Do you know if Vice President Pence was aware that that was the quid pro quo? That that was the trade, and that that it fact is why his inaugural visit was called off?”
Parnas: “I’m going to use a famous quote by Mr. Sondland, ‘everybody was in the loop’.”
And here’s what he told CNN’s Anderson Cooper.
Lev Parnas says he wasn't sure if Vice President Pence knew "everything we were doing." Pressed on whether Pence was aware of a quid pro quo, Parnas said, "everybody that was close to Trump knew this… and this was a serious situation."https://t.co/qLwZHVZuBB pic.twitter.com/4Cs1mjga6P
— CNN This Morning with Kasie Hunt (@CNNThisMorning) January 16, 2020
ATTORNEY GENERAL BILL BARR
Parnas says Giuliani was in direct contact with the Attorney General about the pressure campaign to get Ukraine to announce an investigation into Trump’s political rival, Joe Biden.
Parnas says Attorney General William Barr was on the team and involved in the Ukraine plot. #Maddow #Parnas pic.twitter.com/bL5ak6hIEs
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) January 16, 2020
REP. DEVIN NUNES
While watching the House impeachment hearings Parnas said he was “in shock” to see Nunes was involved in the impeachment investigation as the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee. He said, “I can’t believe this is happening… he was sitting there and making all these statements and all that when he knew very well what was going on, he knew what was happening.”
Devin Nunes and a top aide “were involved in getting this stuff on Biden,” Lev Parnas says to Maddow. “He knows who I am.”
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 16, 2020
JOHN BOLTON (Former national security adviser)
Parnas interview only bolsters the pressure for Senate Republicans to call witnesses like John Bolton.
.@maddow: "But you believe he knows what the administration was pressuring Ukraine to do?"
Lev Parnas: "Bolton? 100%. He knows what happened there."— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) January 16, 2020
The Parnas interview puts Senate Republicans in a real bind. If they think he’s lying, then they should want Bolton and other witnesses to testify to clear things up. A sham trial is an admission that it’s all true.
— Andrew Weinstein (@Weinsteinlaw) January 16, 2020
Maddow will have part two of her interview with Parnas later today where he is expected to talk about Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Energy Secretary Rick Perry.