In Explosive Interviews, Giuliani Sidekick Lev Parnas Says Trump "Lied" and "Knew Exactly What Was Going On" by Eoin Higgins!
(2020-01-16 at 16:08:16 )

In Explosive Interviews, Giuliani Sidekick Lev Parnas Says Trump "Lied" and "Knew Exactly What Was Going On" by Eoin Higgins!

"It was all about Joe Biden, Hunter Biden. It was never about corruption."

Lev Parnas, a close associate of President Donald Trumps personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, claimed in a series of interviews that aired on Wednesday and Thursday that the president and top aides were aware of and on board with the plot to use Ukraine to torpedo former Vice President Joe Bidens chances in the 2020 election.

Mr. Parnas made the claims on MSNBCs Rachel Maddow Show, CNNs New Day, and to the New York Times.

"I am betting my whole life that President Trump knew exactly everything that was going on that Rudy Giuliani was doing in Ukraine," Mr. Parnas told the Times.

Mr. Giuliani sent Mr. Parnas and Mr. Parnas associate Igor Fruman to Ukraine in February 2019 to dig up dirt on Biden and his son Hunter and Hunters role in Ukrainian gas firm Burisma.

The pair collected as much information as they could for Mr. Giuliani and then returned to the United States, Mr. Parnas said.

"He lied," Mr. Parnas says of President Trumps denial that he knows him. "He knew exactly who we were. He knew exactly who I was especially because I interacted with him at a lot of events... I was with Rudy when he would speak to the president - plenty of times."

"It was all about Joe Biden, Hunter Biden," Mr. Parnas said in the MSNBC interview. "It was never about corruption. It was never-it was strictly about Burisma, which included Hunter Biden and Joe Biden."

As the Times reported, Mr. Parnas was certain that the president was on board with the scheme::

During the interview with the Times, as well as in a taped interview Mr. Parnas gave on Wednesday to the MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, Mr. Parnas emphasized that he was always acting on behalf of Mr. Trump and Mr. Giuliani.

When asked by the Times how he knew that Mr. Trump was aware of the pressure campaign, he said that Mr. Giuliani assured him that was the case.

"President Trump knew exactly what was going on," Mr. Parnas told MSNBC. "He was aware of all of my movements. I would not do anything without the consent of Rudy Giuliani or the president."

Mr. Parnas also said that Attorney General Bill Barr, Vice President Mike Pence, and former National Security Advisor John Bolton were involved in and aware of the plot.

Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), one of the impeachment managers in the House, was also in on the scheme, Mr. Parnas said.

"He knew what was happening," said Mr. Parnas. "He knows who I am."

The White House has denied Mr. Parnas allegations. That denial did not convince progressive advocacy group Indivisible.

"At this point, is there anyone we should not impeach?" Indivisible tweeted. This interview is one for the history books. January 16, 2020

Some observers, however, urged caution on taking Mr. Parnas claims at face value.

"I would be skeptical of anything Mr. Parnas says that is not substantiated with evidence," tweeted The Atlantics Adam Serwer. "There appears to be a lot of it, though."

Reprinted here from "Common Dreams" has been providing breaking news & views for the progressive community since 1997. We are independent, non-profit, advertising-free and 100% reader supported.