Giuliani associate's 'hurt feelings' have become an issue in his sentencing: report

Federal prosecutors discussed the "hurt feelings" of Lev Parnas in a court document filed on Wednesday

Prosecutors want 6.5 to 8 years in prison for convicted Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas following his conviction in a foreign campaign contribution straw donor scheme," Politico's Josh Gerstein reported.

Parnas had sought leniency for complying with a subpoena from the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI).

The government also said that his motivations were not virtuous, but vindictive.

"Within a week of Parnas's arrest, on Oct. 16, 2019, Parna's counsel contacted the government to indicate that Parnas was "really upset" that then-President Trump was "claiming he didn't know [Parnas]," and that Parnas was interested in cooperating," the 27-page motion says.

Federal prosecutors explored the topic further in a footnote.

"Parnas made similar statements to the media, explaining that his decision to cooperate following his arrest was motivated by hurt feelings," prosecutors said.

Prosecutors linked to a 2020 Washington Post story titled, "‘Once this is over, we’ll be kings’: How Lev Parnas worked his way into Trump’s world — and now is rattling it."

"In interviews, Parnas has said he felt abandoned and betrayed after his arrest, when Trump disavowed him and Giuliani failed to forcefully defend him," prosecutors quoted the newspaper as reporting.

They also cited a 2021 Daily Beast story titled, "Ex-Giuliani Buddy Lev Parnas Convicted in Illegal Foreign Influence Operation."

“Parnas disavowed the Trump empire entirely just as the former president went through his first impeachment because he felt they abandoned him during his initial arrest. ‘I felt like my family left me,’ he told The Daily Beast last year," The Beast reported.