House Democrats will call convicted criminal and one-time Rudy Giuliani henchman Lev Parnas to testify in the impeachment probe against President Joe Biden.
The Ukrainian American businessman, who worked alongside Giuliani ahead of the 2020 election to dig up dirt about Biden and his son Hunter Biden, will be testifying alongside Tony Bobulinski, a former associate of the president's family who has made unsubstantiated allegations about their business dealings, reported CNN.
“Lev Parnas can debunk the bogus claims at the heart of the impeachment probe and, in the process, explain how the GOP ended up in this degraded and embarrassing place,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee.
House Republicans eagerly lapped up conspiracy theories Parnas had peddled with Giuliani, such as their claim that Biden, as vice president, corruptly tried to use his authority to pressure Ukraine to fire a top prosecutor who was investigating the energy company Burisma to protect his son, who served on the company's board at the time.
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That conspiracy theory formed the basis of the GOP defense against Donald Trump's 2019 impeachment and remains a key allegation against Biden, but Parnas has recanted those claims and was eventually charged with lying about Biden and his son's dealings with Burisma.
“With all due respect, Chairman [James] Comer, the narrative you are seeking for this investigation has been proven false many times over, by a wide array of respected sources,” Parnas wrote in July 2023 to the Oversight Committee chairman. “There is simply no merit to investigating this matter any further.”
Republicans will also call convicted felon Jason Galanis, who will testify remotely from a prison where he's serving time for his role in multiple fraudulent schemes, to testify along with Bobulinski and Parnas.
Hunter Biden declined a GOP invitation to appear at Wednesday's hearing, as did his business associate Devon Archer, although both men have testified in closed-door hearings.
Democrats had also considered calling former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen to testify but ultimately chose Parnas instead.
"Cohen could have spoken directly to how Trump used the White House to enrich himself," said a source familiar with the discussions, "but Parnas can speak directly to how Trump used sketchy sources to fabricate dirt on Biden.”