Part One of two interview shows on Lev Parnas began last night on MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show.
Tonight Anderson Cooper interviews Lev Parnas tonight on CNN begins at 8pm ET; The Rachel Maddow Show at 9pm ET.
Will try to live blog both here rather than do them separately.
CNN Anderson Cooper
“Everybody knew”
AC reminds us that Lev Parnas is under indictment.
AC reports GAO news about OMB violating law and Senate impeachment trial
AC runs clip of usual Trump argle-bargle
Begins with LP interview recorded last night.
covers the same topics as TRMS interview regarding the leverage on Ukraine president Zelensky using Trump or Pence’s attendance at the Zelensky inauguration ordered by Giuliani
introduces Giuliani letter submitted by LP to Congress in the documents package emphasizing the role of Giuliani and by extension, LP as representing US interests even if it was as a private citizen (sic).
LP thinks he and Bolton could “fill in the dots” as witnesses.
Friday, Jan 17, 2020 · 1:24:15 AM +00:00 · annieli
LP describes a dinner which Trump attended where he reported about Yovanovitch and Trump said to aide (Farmer) “Fire Her”.
LP describes his “fixer” role in Ukraine (noting that some of his contacts were personally risky) including the contacts with Giuliani but also some of Giuliani’s Trump contacts “Trump knew what was going on”.
Emphasis that LP fears for his life, that coming forward was necessary.
LP: “(Congress) should call me as a witness” (rather than Biden)
AC interviews Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) about Parnas interview “if he’s willing to testify” Even if there’s questions about credibility there’s proximity to Giuliani, and “his documents should be presented to the Senate”.
Friday, Jan 17, 2020 · 1:39:32 AM +00:00 · annieli
It seems further clear that it wasn’t about investigations by Ukrainian government, but that what Trump/Giuliani wanted (in terms of the “favor”) was the media frame offered by an announcement of an investigation (of the Bidens).
Kirsten Powers and Jeffrey Toobin interviewed by AC discuss credibility — he does have a story to tell but needs to be tested by Congressional testimony.
Should the Democrats call Parnas as a witness?
Friday, Jan 17, 2020 · 1:48:19 AM +00:00 · annieli
LP: “I would be very willing to testify”
Toobin thinks it won’t happen (mentions like others that there’s a precedent for tie-breaking by the Chief Justice in impeachment trials)
Will GOP senators always default to IMPOTUS’s position that “nothing happened” even if there was the abuse of power, because the “public won’t care”.
AC suggests that the next segment will discuss the now trending McSally blurt of “Liberal Hack” at CNN reporter
END OF CNN COVERAGE
BEGIN MADDOW SHOW COVERAGE
Friday, Jan 17, 2020 · 2:05:31 AM +00:00 · annieli
PART TWO of Lev Parnas interview at The Rachel Maddow Show (TRMS)
Notes today’s commencement of the Impeachment Trial
(Trending is twitter mockery of Trump’s ALL CAPS declaration of being impeached)
Why would he speak out to the media while he’s out on bond?
LP says that he’s afraid of the DoJ particularly AG Barr. He thinks he’s safer revealing what he knows to the media. “Trump is like a cult leader”
RM says it sounds like LP thinks he’s getting out of a cult.
Friday, Jan 17, 2020 · 2:12:49 AM +00:00 · annieli
LP: “Bribery is a way of life there (in Ukraine)”
LP provides clarity about Lutsenko messages with reference to getting rid of Yovanovitch and the offer of information about Burisma/Bidens. LP talks about money and power in Ukraine, expressing fear of malign Ukrainian interests (those who wanted to remove Yovanovitch because she supported anti-corruption interests in Ukraine)
Friday, Jan 17, 2020 · 2:19:50 AM +00:00 · annieli
RM revisits the threat of losing all US aid plus losing VP Pence’s attendance unless Zelensky announced publicly an investigation of Biden (May 12 meeting). WH made good its threat and Pence cancelled. Then US sent Rick Perry instead of Pence. Giuliani told Perry to tell Zelensky about the announcement (again). Unfortunately Zelensky only announced anticorruption efforts and not Biden specifically. Giuliani got mad. On 16 October there was a report on Perry (directed by Trump) talking to Zelensky; on 17 October Perry resigned.
The sudden release of the Perry resignation still needs looking into re; 3 Amigos.
Friday, Jan 17, 2020 · 2:29:13 AM +00:00 · annieli
JAY SEKULOW (on POTUS defense team) IS A FACT-WITNESS
LP had several conversations with Sekulow who wanted to stay out of this Ukraine activity, but tried to get him connected with the same lawyers John Dowd who had by then resigned from representing IMPOTUS but still had conflict of interest, and Kevin Downing who represented Paul Manafort in his trial.
This was in reference to getting Shokin deposed in the US. Trump himself was involved with this attempt to get more Biden dirt.
Shokin’s visa was blocked because he was too corrupt.
Friday, Jan 17, 2020 · 2:34:56 AM +00:00 · annieli
LP fired his lawyers while in jail because the Sekulow lawyers (Dowd and Downing) treated him badly (condescending) It felt like (they wanted him to sacrifice himself for IMPOTUS).
Friday, Jan 17, 2020 · 2:51:18 AM +00:00 · annieli
Last segment on Mike Pompeo’s role
Why was the smear campaign even necessary since POTUS* could have removed her without the smear campaign.
Note that Giuliani had contact with Pompeo on the smear campaign of Yovanovitch.
What did Pompeo know about the “drug deal”
“We couldn’t understand why POTUS couldn’t fire her multiple times (four or five)” (He witnessed POTUS telling John Stephano (sic) to fire her while at a dinner at the Trump Hotel Pompeo hadn’t been sworn in) LP now believes that was part of a disinformation campaign (April 30 2018)
Note that this is in 2018, Bolton/Pompeo were both ordered to fire Yovanovitch but didn’t, explaining that the smear campaign was designed to ensure that Trump would fire Yovanovitch by tweet.
Question remains on why Pompeo resisted firing Yovanovitch.
Giuliani and Toensing(sic) needing State Dept “help” on Biden contacts.
Closes with GAO-OMB news
End of coverage
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