Just now, House Democrats released bombshell documents from Lev Parnas, Rudy Giuliani’s indicted associate who helped seek dirt on Donald Trump’s political opponents and evidence that would undermine the Special Counsel investigation.
The documents include previously undisclosed handwritten notes and a letter from Giuliani requesting a meeting with Ukraine President Zelensky.
VICE News: House Democrats Just Dropped A Boatload Of Impeachment Documents That Look Really Bad For Trump
Here are four key takeaways from the new documents:
1. Handwritten Note From Parnas Is A Smoking Gun: “Get Zelensky To Announce” Investigation Into The Bidens
The documents confirm that Parnas served as a channel between Giuliani and Ukrainian officials. One of the most damning excerpts is a handwritten note by Parnas that states: “Get Zelensky to announce that the Biden case will be investigated.”
From CBS News: “One handwritten note reads: ‘get Zalensky to announce that the Biden case will be investigated’ — a reference to the ongoing efforts to get Ukraine to announce probes to benefit Mr. Trump politically.”
2. Giuliani Sent May 2019 Letter To Ukraine President Zelensky Showing He Was Acting Directly At Trump’s Request
The materials also include a previously undisclosed May 2019 letter from Giuliani to Zelensky, requesting a meeting with the newly elected leader as Trump’s “private counsel.”
From Politico: “In the letter, which was obtained from Parnas’ phone that was turned over the Intelligence Committee on Sunday, Giuliani asked for a half-hour meeting with Zelensky as the former New York City mayor was pursuing investigations targeting former Vice President Joe Biden—and he made clear that he was acting with Trump’s ‘knowledge and consent.’”
3. Text Messages Reveal Giuliani Associates Were Stalking Ukraine Ambassador Yovanovitch Months Before Trump Threatened Her On July 25 Call
Newly revealed text messages show Parnas and his co-conspirators were actively stalking Marie Yovanovitch, the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine until she was abruptly recalled in May, 2019. This comes a few months before Trump threatens Yovanovitch on his July 25 call with Zelensky, saying: “She’s going to go through some things.”
This confirms what we already knew: Yovanovitch was ousted after it was clear she wasn’t likely to do Trump’s dirty work pressuring Ukraine to interfere in the 2020 election.
The Daily Beast: Parnas Associate Tracked Ousted Ambassador’s Movements in Kyiv: Docs
From Raw Story: “Among the trove of information released to the House Intelligence Committee by indicted Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas is a string of text messages that suggests Parnas and his cohorts were tracking the movements of U.S. Ambassador to the Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, who was a sharp critic of Giuliani’s scheme to extort Ukraine with military aid.”
4. Documents From Impeachment Attorney Jay Sekulow Show Trump Helped Arrange Representation For Parnas
The new evidence reveals how Jay Sekulow—one of Trump’s impeachment defense lawyers—was himself embedded in the Ukraine scandal and that Trump helped arrange legal representation for Parnas.
Originally posted at Impeachment HQ. Re-posted with permission.
