Lev Parnas testifies Trump 'encouraged' Rudy Giuliani to find dirt on Biden in Ukraine
Former Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas told the House Oversight and Reform Committee impeachment hearing into President Joe Biden Wednesday that Donald Trump directly 'encouraged" Giuliani to find dirt.
Parnas began by recalling a 2023 letter he sent to committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) that said he observed Giuliani's interference extensively in Ukraine politics.
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) asked why Giuliani would be interfering with another country's politics.
"Because he would do and say whatever he needed for the purpose of getting the information he wanted to secure Donald Trump's 2020 election," testified Parnas. "So, just a prime example of one of the things he did."
Parnas went on to cite some of the relationships that Giuliani built, including with a boxer in Ukraine, and a mayor from Ukraine who flew to New York, where he met with Giuliani.
He also mentioned Andriy Yermak, who met with Giuliani in Spain. Yermak was brought in to run the Office of the President when Volodymyr Zelensky was first elected. The meeting dealt with Zelensky potentially making an announcement that Ukraine was going to investigate the Bidens.
That was a demand that Trump had in 2019 when he called Zelensky, promising they'd send weaponry that Congress had approved. "I need you to do us a favor, though," Trump told Zelensky in the call. That quid pro quo offer became the source of Trump's first impeachment trial.
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Parnas testified Wednesday that the efforts continued behind the scenes to get Zelensky to announce the probe into Biden.
"So was Rudy Giuliani just doing this as a rogue on his own because he's a patriotic American who loves Donald Trump, or had somebody encouraged him to engage in this kind of political interference in another country?" asked Connolly.
"I think he was encouraged by Donald Trump," said Parnas.
"Personally?" Connolly questioned.
"Personally, yes," Parnas replied.
"That is your testimony?" Connolly confirmed.
"Yes," agreed Parnas.
Parnas later testified that Trump personally thanked him "for all that you're doing" before he was sent off to Ukraine.
See the questioning in the video below or at the link here.
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