October 10, 2019
Arrests yesterday of two of Rudy Giuliani Ukrainian associates were based on illegal campaign contributions to the Donald Trump 2020 campaign (TrumpPAC). (Giulani is Donald Trump's personal attorney.)
The two foreigners are accused of conspiracy, money laundering, and Campaign Finance Law violations for straw-funnelling of $325k in illegal foreign donations to a Trump super PAC while hiding the money's true foreign origins.
So if you wondered whether there might be illegal foreign interference in USA elections--in the future as well as the past--now you have your definitive, affirmative answer.
Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman were spotted having lunch yesterday with Giuliani in, wait for it, Trump Tower. Hours later, two of the three were under arrest.
US Attorney Geoffrey Berman gave a press release this morning to detail the charges after the two foreigners were arraigned. Berman holds the Southern District of New York (SDNY) position formerly held by Preet Bharara. Former Attorney General (AG) Sessions canned Bharara when Bharara refused Trump's Jeff Sessions' demand he fire all remaining President Obama-appointed SDNY attorneys.
The two arrestees and "Congressman 1" (former Texas Rep. Pete Sessions'--no relation to AG Jeff Sessions--who was unceremoniously fired in favor of yet-unrecused current AG William Barr) tried to get Ukraine Ambassador Marie Yovanovich fired, supposedly for being vocally anti-Trump or at least anti-Trump's illegal shakedown of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenski.
Which Ukrainian president is no mere former television entertainment show host. Zelenski was a bona fide television sitcom comedian and actor before he won a landslide (70+%) popular vote victory in Ukraine over a career politician.
They succeeded in canning Yovanovich. She is now scheduled to appear tomorrow before the House Judiciary Committee investigating Trumplandia.
The two Giuliani allies were subpoenaed to appear today and tomorrow before the House Judiciary Committee investigating impeachment against Trump.
As yet unindicted Giuliani admits that he represents Parnus and Fruman but he says he does not represent them in this particular case (duh, conflict!). Former Trump personal attorney John Dowd represents the two arrestees and said they would definitely not appear in response to the subpoenas.
Trump continues to stonewall the impeachment inquiry, blocking witnessez and ignoring subpoenas.
Echoes from the grave of deposed and nowhere nearly dearly-departed President Nixon.
Nothing funny about Trump and his hell-bent, fucking moronic sycophants and enablers.
With apologies to late genius novelist John Kennedy Toole, this corrupt Trump administration is A Confederacy of Dunces.
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