One of Rudy Giuliani’s associates arrested last month in connection with shady activities in Ukraine appears to have flipped on Donald Trump and his personal attorney. Lev Parnas, who has agreed to comply with investigators, is claiming that he personally offered a quid pro quo to the incoming government in Kiev at Giuliani's direction, undercutting the president and his lawyer's claims of innocence and suggesting their pressure campaign in Ukraine went further than previously known.

According to an attorney for Parnas, he traveled to Kiev just ahead of Volodymyr Zelensky’s swearing-in in May to deliver an ultimatum: investigate Joe Biden, or Vice President Mike Pence will not attend Zelensky’s inauguration, and Congressionally-approved military aid will be held up. The account to the New York Times, which was strenuously denied by Giuliani and others potentially implicated, suggests that the effort to extort Zelensky into conducting politically-motivated probes on Trump’s behalf began earlier than previously known and included threats beyond the suspended aid and a denied White House visit. It also puts the spotlight back on Giuliani, who rebutted Parnas’s accusation. “Categorically, I did not tell him to say that,” Giuliani told the Times. The other two people at the meeting this spring—Igor Fruman, the other Giuliani associate arrested last month, and Serhiy Shefir, a member of Zelensky’s inner circle—also denied Parnas’ claims.

Of course, it’s probably in their best interest to do so. Parnas’ account, which he plans to deliver to House lawmakers as part of their impeachment inquiry, draws all parties involved deeper into the scandal that has engulfed the White House and left several in the president’s orbit exposed to potential legal jeopardy. Giuliani has been under particular pressure since October, when Parnas and Fruman were pinched at Dulles International Airport attempting to flee the country—right after having lunch with Giuliani at Trump’s D.C. hotel. The pair, who were indicted on charges that they “schemed to funnel foreign money to U.S. politicians in a bid to affect U.S.-Ukraine relations and launch a marijuana business,” initially vowed not to cooperate with Democrats.

Parnas, however, reportedly had a change of heart after being spurned by Trump who, despite having met the failed businessman-turned-Trump enthusiast several times, claimed not to know him: “I don’t know them,” the president told reporters after the arrest of Parnas and Fruman, who helped Giuliani pursue his Ukraine-related conspiracy theories. “I don’t know about them. I don’t know what they do.” Parnas was “very upset” about the disavowal, his lawyer, Joseph Bondy, said this month. Betrayed by his former hero, Parnas is now willing to cooperate with investigators, according to Bondy, who challenged Shefir’s denial in an interview with the Times. “It would simply defy reason for Mr. Shefir to have attended a meeting with Mr. Parnas if he did not believe Mr. Parnas spoke for the president, and also for Mr. Parnas not to have conveyed the president’s message at the meeting,” Bondy said.

Trump, of course, has a long history of denying that he knows people he clearly does know once their acquaintance becomes inconvenient. In this case, his stonewalling could come back to haunt him, with a guy previously in his corner now flipping on him and his embattled personal attorney. What ultimately comes of Parnas’s account remains to be seen—Republicans, who are wholeheartedly defending Trump, may dismiss his claims as sour grapes. But if his story is corroborated, it would serve as further confirmation of Trump and Giuliani’s corrupt behind-the-scenes maneuvering.

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