WASHINGTON: Lev Parnas, an indicted associate of Rudy Giuliani, accused President Donald Trump of lying for saying that he didn’t know what Parnas and Giuliani were doing in Ukraine.
In an interview with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow on Wednesday, Parnas said, “I wouldn’t do anything without the consent of Rudy Giuliani or the president,” Parnas said. “President Trump knew exactly what was going on,” he added in the interview, which was broadcast on the same day that Democratic members of the US House walked across the Capitol to deliver the two impeachment articles against Trump to the Republican-controlled Senate.
Trump denied knowing Parnas after he and another Giuliani associate, Igor Fruman, were charged with campaign finance violations in October, although there are photographs of the three men together.
Parnas worked with Giuliani to dig up political dirt in Ukraine on former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
In the interview, his first since he was charged, Parnas said he was instructed by Giuliani to tell Ukrainian officials that all US aid to Ukraine would be withheld if Ukraine didn’t announce an investigation into the Bidens.
Parnas said he was working as part of Trump’s legal team and that Giuliani would tell Ukrainian officials that Parnas was working on behalf of Trump so the Ukrainians would take him seriously.
He also said that Vice President Mike Pence was directed to try to secure an agreement from the Ukrainians during a meeting in early September.
Parnas said a trip that Pence was scheduled to make to attend the inauguration of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was cancelled because Trump was mad that the Ukrainians hadn’t announced an investigation.
Parnas did not provide evidence of his accusations against Trump or his administration.
In a separate interview with CNN that aired on Thursday, Parnas said the purpose of his activities in Ukraine was to help Trump win reelection in 2020 and that other White House officials were aware of what he was doing, including Pence, acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and former National Security Advisor John Bolton.
“Of course,” Pence was aware of the campaign to pressure Ukrainian officials, Parnas said. “I don’t know if he knew everything.”
Parnas said he is willing to testify before the House impeachment inquiry.
Parnas’ lawyer received permission from the judge in his case to give documents related to Ukraine to a House committee this week. The House released additional documents from Parnas on its website on Wednesday, including text and telephone messages.
Source: Economic Times
