Giuliani Associate Lev Parnas Seeking To Dismiss Campaign Finance Violation Charges

An associate of Rudy Giuliani charged with campaign finance violations, Lev Parnas, has filed a motion to dismiss the charges. Parnas’ attorney argued that he was singled out for prosecution due to his support of President Donald Trump and refusal to provide information to investigators working to impeach Trump.

“Mr. Parnas’s long-standing assertion that Attorney General Barr ordered the timing of his indictment and arrest as a means to protect the President and thwart his potential testimony in the impeachment inquiry has been substantially strengthened since the time of Parnas’s unanswered January 20, 2020 request for AG Barr’s recusal,” Parnas’s attorney wrote in a court filing Tuesday. “Since then the Attorney General has abused the power of his position to further the political interests of the President repeatedly.”

Attorney General William Barr left his post on Wednesday, for reasons unrelated to the assertion that he was working in Trump’s interest by indicting Parnas.

Parnas has pleaded guilty to the charges, but his lawyer is requesting the three instances of campaign finance violations be separated into different trials. The lawyer also requested the judge for permission to obtain documents related to Barr’s role in the investigation of Parnas, as well as to determine why charges were brought against Parnas but not the recipients of the alleged illegal campaign contributions.

Parnas is also involved in another indictment, which alleges that he and his associates partook in a pressure campaign to oust the-U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch.

He is challenging the makeup of the grand jury on the second indictment, and requested the presiding judge to determine whether any testimony presented to the grand jury regarding Yovanovitch had been withdrawn or not presented.

Article by Katherine Huggins