There are a lot of players involved so here's a quick recap;
**What have we learned since Giuliani's associates were arrested? Parnas and Fruman were working on behalf of Pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarch Dmitry Firtash who is currently detained in Vienna fighting extradition to the U.S. on bribery and racketeering charges.**
- Several associates of the President's personal attorney have been arrested and charged by the Justice Department for violating campaign finance laws. Giuliani's associates Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman were engaged in a scheme to funnel foreign money into American political campaigns so they could buy influence in the U.S.. They were arrested and charged by the Justice Department.^[[1]](
U S v Lev Parnas Et Al Indictment)
>Lev Parnas, Igor Fruman, David Correia, and Andrey Kukushkin, the defendants, conspired to circumvent the federal laws against foreign influence by engaging in a scheme to funnel foreign money to candidates for federal and state office so that the defendants could buy potential influence with candidates, campaigns, and the candidates' governments. The defendants concealed the scheme from candidates, campaigns, federal regulators, and the public by entering into secret agreements, laundering foreign money through bank accounts in the names of limited liability corporations, and through the use of straw donors (also known as "conduits" or "straw contributors") who purported to make legal campaign contributions in their own names, rather than in the name of the true source of the funds.
- Two of Giuliani's associates were trying to fly out of the U.S. and possibly to Vienna, Austria.^[[2]](
Two Giuliani Associates Who Helped Him on Ukraine Charged With Campaign-Finance Violations)
>Mr. Giuliani said Thursday that Messrs. Parnas and Fruman were headed to Vienna, Austria, on Wednesday evening for reasons related to their business. He said the two men had also left the country about two weeks ago and had traveled to Vienna between three and six times in the last two months. He said he had been scheduled to meet with the two when they were to return to Washington within days.
- Around the same time his associates were arrested at Dulles airport, Giuliani told a reporter that he was about to fly out to Vienna.^[[3]](
The Mystery of Rudy Giuliani’s Vienna Trip)
- A Pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarch is detained in Vienna. Dmitry Firtash is fighting extradition to the U.S. on bribery and racketeering charges.^[[4]](
Exclusive: How a Ukrainian Oligarch Wanted by U.S. Authorities Helped Giuliani Attack Biden) Curiously, Giuliani's indicted associate was working on behalf of Firtash.^[[5]](
Indicted Giuliani associate worked on behalf of Ukrainian oligarch Firtash) This indicted Oligarch was sharing documents with Giuliani that make controversial allegations against Mueller and Joe Biden. Giuliani shared this information on American conservative media outlets, exclaiming that the witness he was relying on was none other than the discredited corrupt former Ukrainian Prosector General Viktor Shokin.^[[6]](
Exclusive: How a Ukrainian Oligarch Wanted by U.S. Authorities Helped Giuliani Attack Biden)
>In his frequent appearances on cable news, Giuliani has presented some of these documents to the American public as evidence for his claims of wrongdoing by Mueller and Biden. The key document is an affidavit from a former Ukrainian prosecutor who accuses Biden of corruption. “The witness I’m relying on,” Giuliani [told Fox News](
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gi...-levelled-against-honey-boy-biden" \t "_blank) on Oct. 6, was the prosecutor Viktor Shokin. “That’s the affidavit I put out,” Giuliani added. He did not mention that the affidavit was obtained by the Firtash legal team. At the beginning of the document, Shokin writes that he is making the statement “at the request of lawyers acting for Dmitry Firtash.”
- While President Trump has attempted to distance himself from Giuliani's indicted associate Lev Parnas, we have learned that Parnas attended a private 2016 election night party.^[[7]](
Indicted Giuliani associate attended private ‘16 election night party for ‘friend’ Trump)
- We have learned that President Trump removed a career state department official from her post following complaints from Giuliani and his associates.^[[8]](
WSJ News Exclusive | Trump Ordered Ukraine Ambassador Removed After Complaints From Giuliani, Others) Former Republican congressman Pete Sessions began to attack Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch on conservative media outlets. From recent indictments we have learned that Pete Sessions was being funded by Giuliani's associates Parnas and Furman. These associates have been indicted by the DoJ for trying to bribe American politicians. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch was a career public servant that supported anti-corruption initiatives in Ukraine, however she was removed from her position while Giuliani's associates as well as President Trump tried to influence the Ukrainian government.^[[9]](
NPR Choice page)
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1) [United States District Court Southern District of New York - United States of America v. Lev Parnas, Igor Fruman, David Correia, and Andrey Kukushkin](
U S v Lev Parnas Et Al Indictment)
2) [Wall Street Journal - Two Giuliani Associates Who Helped Him on Ukraine Charged With Campaign-Finance Violations: Prosecutors say Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman were part of a conspiracy to funnel foreign money into U.S. elections](
Two Giuliani Associates Who Helped Him on Ukraine Charged With Campaign-Finance Violations)
3) [The Atlantic - The Mystery of Rudy Giuliani’s Vienna Trip](
The Mystery of Rudy Giuliani’s Vienna Trip)
4) [TIME - Exclusive: How a Ukrainian Oligarch Wanted by U.S. Authorities Helped Giuliani Attack Biden](
https://time.com/5699201/exclusive-...u-s-authorities-helped-giuliani-attack-biden/)
5) [Reuters - Indicted Giuliani associate worked on behalf of Ukrainian oligarch Firtash](
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-whistleblower-firtash-idUSKBN1WQ2H5)
6) [TIME - Exclusive: How a Ukrainian Oligarch Wanted by U.S. Authorities Helped Giuliani Attack Biden](
https://time.com/5699201/exclusive-...u-s-authorities-helped-giuliani-attack-biden/)
7) [Politico - Indicted Giuliani associate attended private ‘16 election night party for ‘friend’ Trump](
https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/11/lev-parnas-giuliani-trump-private-party-044698)
8) [Wall Street Journal - Trump Ordered Ukraine Ambassador Removed After Complaints From Giuliani, Others](
https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-...r-complaints-from-giuliani-others-11570137147)
9) [NPR - How Former Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch Became A Target In Ukraine](
https://www.npr.org/2019/10/11/7686...-marie-yovanovitch-became-a-target-in-ukraine)
