An ex-associate of Rudy Giuliani on Wednesday pushed back on what he characterized as false claims made by former President Donald Trump about the Biden family.
Lev Parnas, who worked with Giuliani when the former attorney for Trump attempted to find information on the Bidens, made the comments during a House Oversight Committee hearing in the GOP-led impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.
"The American people have been lied to by Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, and various cohorts of individuals in government and media positions," Parnas said during his opening statement. "They created falsehoods to serve their own interests knowing it would undermine the strength of our nation."
He added: "The only information ever pushed on the Bidens and Ukraine has come from one source and one source only: Russia and Russian agents."
Context
The House of Representatives voted in December to launch an impeachment inquiry into the president by 221 votes to 212, with members voting along party lines. Republicans allege that while serving as vice president, Biden used his influence to improperly support the business activities of his son, Hunter Biden, from which they suggest he also gained financial profits.
The president has said he had no involvement with Hunter Biden's business dealings, and the White House has called the GOP's impeachment effort "sad, pathetic, and a waste of everyone's time."
Parnas, who was convicted in 2021 of fraud and campaign finance crimes, was called to testify by Democrats. He previously referred to the impeachment probe as "a wild goose chase" in a 2023 letter to House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, a Kentucky Republican.
Views
Ron Filipkowski, editor-in-chief of the liberal MeidasTouch website, used Parnas' appearance to poke fun at Comer.
"I would like to thank James Comer for this last Hunter Biden hearing. It provided a national platform to Lev Parnas to expose some of the corruption of Trump, Rudy, Barr & their other henchmen. His testimony will dominate the news cycle, & we thank Comer for making it possible," Filipkowski wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Newsweek reached out to Comer via email on Wednesday for comment.
Meanwhile, Greg Price, communications director for the conservative State Freedom Caucus Network, indicated on X that he feels Parnas is not a reliable source.
"To defend the Biden Crime Family, Democrats brought in convicted felon Lev Parnas who just said that the claims that the Bidens corruptly made money in Ukraine came from 'Russian agents,'" Price said.
What's Next
The House Oversight Committee also summoned two former business associates of Hunter Biden's, Tony Bobulinski and Jason Galanis, to testify on Wednesday.
Comer has stated that he is considering making criminal referrals instead of drafting articles of impeachment, although he has not said who would receive any such referrals.
However, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican, acknowledged the difficulty in proceeding with the impeachment inquiry during a Wednesday morning appearance on Newsmax.
When host Rob Finnerty asked Jordan if the probe was moving forward, Jordan said, "We're going to do our work, and then we don't have a timeline."
"We don't have a specific outcome we're trying to get to," he added.
Update 03/20/24, 2:10 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jon Jackson is an Associate Editor at Newsweek based in New York. His focus is on reporting on the Ukraine ... Read more
