Giuliani's Russia/Ukraine pals arrested for illegal donation to Trump superPAC

[essentialsaltes]

Two Soviet-born businessmen with ties to Rudy Giuliani were arrested on Wednesday on federal charges of violating campaign finance laws through a six-figure donation they facilitated to President Donald Trump’s official super PAC.

Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman were taken into custody in New York, the Wall Street Journal reported. The precise charges against them were not immediately clear, but a company run by the two men, Global Energy Producers LLC, has been accused of violating campaign finance laws through a $325,000 donation to the group America First Action, as first reported by The Daily Beast.

Parnas and Fruman are central to an ongoing impeachment inquiry against Trump. The two men assisted Giuliani, the president’s personal attorney, in his efforts to dig up dirt on Trump’s political opponents in Ukraine.

Giuliani and his crew make the Watergate plumbers look like a Mission Impossible team.

 

[Nithavela]

Two Soviet-born businessmen with ties to Rudy Giuliani were arrested on Wednesday on federal charges of violating campaign finance laws through a six-figure donation they facilitated to President Donald Trump’s official super PAC.

Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman were taken into custody in New York, the Wall Street Journal reported. The precise charges against them were not immediately clear, but a company run by the two men, Global Energy Producers LLC, has been accused of violating campaign finance laws through a $325,000 donation to the group America First Action, as first reported by The Daily Beast.

Parnas and Fruman are central to an ongoing impeachment inquiry against Trump. The two men assisted Giuliani, the president’s personal attorney, in his efforts to dig up dirt on Trump’s political opponents in Ukraine.

Giuliani and his crew make the Watergate plumbers look like a Mission Impossible team.

John Oliver called this whole boondoggle "Stupid Watergate".

 

[essentialsaltes]

The two men had been planning to fly to Vienna on Wednesday night, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Parnas and Fruman were expected to appear in a federal court in Virginia later on Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Wow, guess who's not getting bail.

 

[trunks2k]

John Oliver called this whole boondoggle "Stupid Watergate".

I thought this was "The Stupidest Watergate"

 

[SimplyMe]

I thought this was "The Stupidest Watergate"

He calls it "Stupid Watergate II: The Stupidest Watergate."

 

[TLK Valentine]

Giuliani and his crew make the Watergate plumbers look like a Mission Impossible team.

I was going to say that the Watergate Plumbers make Giuliani and his crew look like regular plumbers...

 

[SimplyMe]

I think it is worth noting, the money they were contributing apparently came from Russia, that were being made to advance Russian interests.

At least part of it is that they were attempting to donate money to a US Congressman, in exchange for getting the US Ambassador to Ukraine recalled. Again, remember, the money was Russian, though the indictment states, “Parnas’s efforts to remove the Ambassador were conducted, at least in part, at the request of one or more Ukrainian government officials.” The Washington Post suggests the details that were cited in the indictment indicate the Congressman was likely Pete Sessions, who lost his reelection bid in 2018.

I think it is worth noting that Giuliani, is not part of this indictment and isn't accused of any crimes associated with this indictment. OTOH, it does generate a lot of questions about Giuliani and these individuals, particularly since they were helping Giuliani's Ukrainian investigation. I do know that Giuliani is claiming he represents these men, in some capacity; though (from the NY Times): “They had a campaign finance issue,” he said in an interview late last month. “I referred them to a campaign finance expert who pretty much resolved it.”

It will be interesting to see what money Giuliani collected from these men and how it can be justified as "legal expenses," as if payments occurred to help pay for the Ukrainian investigation, it could be considered illegal campaign contributions to Pres. Trump's campaign.

 

[essentialsaltes]

"Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman were detained at Dulles airport outside of Washington last night. They had recently purchased one-way tickets, according to a law enforcement source."

 

[essentialsaltes]

"Parnas and Fruman contributed $325,000 to Committee-1. Now, this contribution was not made in their names. It was made in the name of a corporation that they set up, GEP, in order to hide that the true individuals behind the donation were Parnas and Fruman. The $325,000, one of the largest donations Committee-1 received ... in the indictment, we alleged that this was an illegal straw donor scheme," Berman said.

Individual-1
Committee-1

Trump's #1!

 

[KCfromNC]

"Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman were detained at Dulles airport outside of Washington last night. They had recently purchased one-way tickets, according to a law enforcement source."

This is how innocent people behave, right? Because I think I've been doing things wrong up until now.

 

[KCfromNC]

"Parnas and Fruman contributed $325,000 to Committee-1. Now, this contribution was not made in their names. It was made in the name of a corporation that they set up, GEP, in order to hide that the true individuals behind the donation were Parnas and Fruman. The $325,000, one of the largest donations Committee-1 received ... in the indictment, we alleged that this was an illegal straw donor scheme," Berman said.

Individual-1
Committee-1

Trump's #1!

Does committee-1 mean that Donald's, uh, I mean individual-1's inauguration committee is in the news again for all the Russian money it took in? Or is this a separate legal issue for him, uh, I mean the individual?

 

[KCfromNC]

OTOH, it does generate a lot of questions about Giuliani and these individuals, particularly since they were helping Giuliani's Ukrainian investigation. I do know that Giuliani is claiming he represents these men, in some capacity; though (from the NY Times): “They had a campaign finance issue,” he said in an interview late last month. “I referred them to a campaign finance expert who pretty much resolved it.”

The president's personal attorney refers clients to an "expert" who "resolved" it. The people he refers are now in federal custody after being arrested at the airport with one-way international tickets.

I'm waffling between a "best and brightest" quote and hoping that he refers Donald to the same "expert".

 

[cow451]

This is how innocent people behave, right? Because I think I've been doing things wrong up until now.

What is problem, Comrades? Ukraine is beautiful this time of year. Average Weather on October 23 in Kiev, Ukraine - Weather Spark

 

[essentialsaltes]

Former Republican Rep. Pete Sessions has been served a subpoena on matters connected to President Donald Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, two Giuliani associates' dealings with Ukraine and efforts to remove the US ambassador to Ukraine, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.

 

[childeye 2]

Russian money ends up getting ambassador to Ukraine removed=foreign policy for sale to Russia. I'm thinking that Dmytro Firtash is probably the conduit for Russian money, just as he was when Russia was destabilizing Ukraine.

 

[Ada Lovelace]

I do know that Giuliani is claiming he represents these men, in some capacity; though (from the NY Times): “They had a campaign finance issue,” he said in an interview late last month. “I referred them to a campaign finance expert who pretty much resolved it.”

Giuliani has desperately attempted to minimize his connections to the four men (two more were arrested)
but this picture speaks a thousand words of refutation to that claim:

This is Giuliani with Lev Parnas last December at President George H.W. Bush's state funeral service at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. It was an extraordinarily high-profile event attended by former presidents and world leaders. You don't bring someone who is merely a professional associate as your plus one. The Bush family is rightfully aggrieved he was present, explaining emphatically that he was not invited and they had no intention of him being there. They feel it was disrespectful that Giuliani abused his invitation and brought Parnas to their patriarch's funeral.

 

[SimplyMe]

Giuliani has desperately attempted to minimize his connections to the four men (two more were arrested)
but this picture speaks a thousand words of refutation to that claim:

This is Giuliani with Lev Parnas last December at President George H.W. Bush's state funeral service at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. It was an extraordinarily high-profile event attended by former presidents and world leaders. You don't bring someone who is merely a professional associate as your plus one. The Bush family is rightfully aggrieved he was present, explaining emphatically that he was not invited and they had no intention of him being there. They feel it was disrespectful that Giuliani abused his invitation and brought Parnas to their patriarch's funeral.

The more I see, it appears that the Trump impeachment hearings will likely center more and more on the actions of Giuliani -- and that it appears that Giuliani is also likely to be indicted for various federal crimes for some of his actions with the two Ukrainians, as well as for things it appears he did in Ukraine.

 

[essentialsaltes]

link

Lev Parnas Instagram Reveals Personal Note From Trump Thanking Him For His ‘Friendship’

 

[cow451]

link

Lev Parnas Instagram Reveals Personal Note From Trump Thanking Him For His ‘Friendship’

He’s a good fella. What’s happening to him is a miscarriage of justice. He should sue.

 

[essentialsaltes]

An associate of Rudy Giuliani -- Lev Parnas -- has initiated talks with impeachment investigators through his attorney.

The attorney, Joseph Bondy, told the team from CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" that he had sent a letter to congressional investigators saying Parnas will comply with a congressional subpoena for his documents and testimony.

Trump has repeatedly denied knowing Parnas or his associate Igor Fruman, who was also arrested while trying to leave the country last month. In photos posted to a now-inactive Facebook page, Parnas and Fruman frequently sought to tout a close relationship to the President, his family and his advisers -- including Giuliani.

"I don't know those gentlemen. Now it's possible I have a picture with them because I have a picture with everybody, I have a picture with everybody here," Trump said last month, adding that someone told him there "may be" a photo with them "at a fundraiser or somewhere, but I have pictures with everybody."

Bondy told The Post, "Any sentient being looking at the public record of the President and Parnas together — during intimate dinners, waving to each other at rallies, taking pictures together, and of Parnas's alleged involvement with the President's lawyer Rudy Giuliani — could divine that the President and Parnas knew each other."