Arrest of Giuliani associates ensnares ‘Congressman 1'

WASHINGTON — Businessmen with ties to Rudy Giuliani lobbied a U.S. congressman in 2018 for help ousting the American ambassador to Ukraine around the same time they committed to raising money for the lawmaker. !” Later that same day, Sessions sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo seeking Yovanovitch’s dismissal because he had “notice of concrete evidence” that she had “spoken privately and repeatedly about her disdain for the current Administration.” Campaign finance records show Parnas and Fruman later contributed $2,700 apiece to Session’s campaign, the maximum allowed individual contribution. You have to ask Rudy.” A week after Parnas and Fruman visited Sessions in Washington, a company controlled by the pair, Global Energy Producers, gave $325,000 to a political action committee supporting President Donald Trump’s reelection bid, according to the committee’s financial disclosure reports. Tax documents filed by a nonprofit wing of America First Action in November 2018 show a handful of Trump allies held key positions at the group, including Texas GOP fundraiser Roy Bailey, a longtime Sessions political supporter who was the finance co-chairman of Trump’s inaugural committee. “I think it’s a bombshell because of its connection to Ukraine and Trump.” AP reported on Sunday that Parnas told associates at two meetings in March that Trump planned to oust Yovanovitch, a career diplomat with a reputation for fighting corruption, with someone more amenable to their business plans, according to four people, three of whom spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity over concerns of retaliation.