Newsweek reports:
Mike Pence was given the task of telling Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy that if he did not announce his government’s investigation into the Bidens, the U.S. would not provide any military aid.
When asked if Pence was aware of the quid pro quo, Parnas said, “I’m going to use a famous quote from [Ambassador Gordon] Sondland. Everybody was in the loop.”
Parnas said that Pence was scheduled to be a guest at Zelenskiy’s inauguration. “It was already planned out, it was already discussed,” Parnas said. But Parnas told Zelenskiy’s senior aide Sergei Schaffer that if the investigation were not announced, then the relationship between Ukraine and the U.S. would become “sour.”
The Hill reports:
Giuliani’s associate continued by connecting Attorney General Bill Barr to the pressure campaign, saying that Giuliani had contacted the attorney general about the attempts to get Ukraine to announce a Biden investigation
“Barr had to have known everything,” he said. “Attorney General Barr was basically on the team.” Parnas also directly connected Trump to the Ukraine pressure campaign to investigate the Bidens, saying the president “knew exactly what was going on.”
Giuliani’s associate also claimed that the White House’s call for a Ukrainian investigation “was never about corruption.” Instead, it was focused solely on Burisma.
It’s as if Howard Hunt & Gordon Liddy said “Of course Nixon knew about the break in. He ordered it.” Republicans, what the fuck is it gonna take?
— Rob Reiner (@robreiner) January 16, 2020
As Gordon Sondland said: “Everyone was in the loop.”
That’s VERY CLEAR from the latest documents.
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) January 15, 2020
Parnas tells @maddow that Pence cancelled his trip to Ukraine for Zelensky’s inauguration because Trump’s demands for an investigation weren’t being met. After that, Parnas says, the Ukrainians knew the threats were for real.
— Jess Coleman (@jesskcoleman) January 16, 2020
Asked for comment as Lev Parnas was speaking on msnbc on Wednesday night, Rudy Giuliani responded at first, “Are you kidding?” When asked for further elaboration, the Trump attorney messaged, “Very sad situation,” & “He’s desperate and badly represented.” https://t.co/2Xed408FgD
— Asawin Suebsaeng (@swin24) January 16, 2020
Wow. Watching Lev Parnas interview with @maddow. All I can say is this: Republican senators who refuse to support the calling of fact witnesses and relevant documents should just resign for dereliction of duty under the Constitution.
— Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) January 16, 2020
When Lev Parnas was arrested, Giuliani defended him & said he was sticking by him. Tonight he has a different message. “Who cares?” he says in text. “Believe him at your peril.” Adds that he feels sorry for “him and his family.” Does not specify what he sees at falsehoods.
— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) January 16, 2020
“It was like a breeding ground at the Trump hotel.” – Parnas explaining how guys like him would rub elbows with GOP congressmen and people like Robert Hyde.
— Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) January 16, 2020