A new report from the Wall Street Journal claims that Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani had lunch with his two now-indicted henchmen at President Donald Trump’s hotel in Washington, D.C. just hours before they were arrested trying to flee the country.

A source who was staying at the Trump International Hotel in Washington tells the Journal that he saw Giuliani having lunch with Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman on Wednesday afternoon.

Hours later, Parnas and Fruman traveled to Dulles International Airport, where they were arrested after buying one-way tickets on an international flight and were subsequently charged with campaign-finance violations.

Prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York on Thursday revealed that Parnas and Fruman allegedly funneled foreign cash into American political campaigns, both to assist in their own recreational marijuana business and to lobby for the dismissal of former Ukraine ambassador Marie Yovanovitch.

Parnas and Fruman have emerged as key figures in the scandal surrounding President Donald Trump’s efforts to pressure the Ukrainian government to launch investigations against his political opponents. In addition to their alleged illegal campaign activities, the two foreign-born businessmen helped arrange meetings between Giuliani and Ukrainian prosecutor Yuri Lutsenko, who at one point claimed to have dirt on the Bidens.

Enjoy good journalism?

… then let us make a small request. The COVID crisis has cut advertising rates in half, and we need your help. Like you, we here at Raw Story believe in the power of progressive journalism. Raw Story readers power David Cay Johnston’s DCReport, which we've expanded to keep watch in Washington. We’ve exposed billionaire tax evasion and uncovered White House efforts to poison our water. We’ve revealed financial scams that prey on veterans, and legal efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. And unlike other news outlets, we’ve decided to make our original content free. But we need your support to do what we do.

Raw Story is independent. Unhinged from corporate overlords, we fight to ensure no one is forgotten.

We need your support in this difficult time. Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Invest with us. Make a one-time contribution to Raw Story Investigates, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click to donate by check.

Value Raw Story?

… then let us make a small request. The COVID crisis has cut advertising rates in half, and we need your help. Like you, we believe in the power of progressive journalism — and we’re investing in investigative reporting as other publications give it the ax. Raw Story readers power David Cay Johnston’s DCReport, which we've expanded to keep watch in Washington. We’ve exposed billionaire tax evasion and uncovered White House efforts to poison our water. We’ve revealed financial scams that prey on veterans, and efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. We need your support to do what we do.

Raw Story is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Invest with us in the future. Make a one-time contribution to Raw Story Investigates, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you.