"The president knew exactly what was happening." Lev Parnas, an associate of Donald Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, has provided new evidence in recent hours about the pressures allegedly exerted by the president on Ukraine to investigate former Democratic Vice President Joe Biden.
But who is this adviser and why does he speak now that the Senate starts the political trial against Trump for alleged abuse of power and obstruction of Congress?
Parnas gave a series of interviews on Wednesday, including MSNBC, The New Tork Times and CNN, where he said that last May he personally delivered an ultimatum message to Ukraine if this country did not initiate an investigation against Biden.
"[Trump] was aware of all my movements, I would not have done anything without the consent of Rudy Giuliani or the president ," Parnas said. “That is, why did the close circle of President Zelenskiy or Minister Avakov and all these people or President Poroshenko meet with me? Who I am? They did it because they were told to meet me. And that is the secret that they [the Trump administration] are trying to keep. I was doing his job, ”he added.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy assumed as president of Ukraine in May, replacing Petro Poroshenko. Arsen Avakov is the Minister of Interior of that country.
The White House reacted to these statements accusing Parnas of being desperate. On the accusations, a press release from press secretary Stephanie Grisham says that "they are made by a man currently released on bail for federal crimes and desperate to reduce the chances of ending up in jail."
Speaking to The Associated Press news agency, Giuliani has said he feels sorry for Parnas. “I thought he was an honorable man. I was wrong, ”he said.
Parna faces charges from the Southern District of New York for making illegal donations in support of Donald Trump for $ 325,000, in addition to other political donations to help a Ukrainian government official and a Russian citizen seeking to enter the cannabis industry.
Parnas is a businessman born in Ukraine when he was still part of the former Soviet Union. He is an immigrant and has U.S. citizenship. He said that the objective of his work with Giuliani in Ukraine was to convince the government of that country that they should announce the investigation against Biden and his son Hunter, who had business in the energy industry. He says that, under Giuliani's direction, he pressured Ukrainian officials with the threat that the United States would cut off financial aid .
Parnas described his relationship with Guiliani as close, stating that they talked every day and that he was the first person the lawyer called after meeting Trump, according to CNN.
“I loved him,” said Parnas about his devotion to Trump, which broke after the indictment of the New York court last October for being a participant, along with another Giuliani associate, Igor Furman, of illicit financing of the President's campaign.
Since then, his statements have delivered crucial information within the investigation led by the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives.
In principle, Parnas refused to testify before Congress and was arrested at the Washington airport on the day he had been summoned to testify, with a one-way ticket to Vienna.
Since then, his position has changed and he has contributed information and material to the research. Last November, he delivered to the House of Representatives audio, video and photo recordings that allegedly proved his key role as an emissary of Trump and Giuliani in Ukraine.
As part of that material, a letter from Giuliani was found requesting a private meeting with Zelenskiy, with Trump's "knowledge and consent."
Parnas is now looking for the Senate to summon him to testify as a witness. He said he and former national security adviser John Bolton "could fit in all points, I think, because I was there, and he was here."
Edited by Felipe Gálvez, with information from AP
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