All posts tagged "lev parnas"

'Unraveling': Ex-Trump associate warns it's the beginning of the end for MAGA

Lev Parnas, a former associate of Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani, claimed in a new Substack article that the country is witnessing the beginning of the end for the MAGA movement.

"One month ago, I told you cracks were forming," Parnas wrote, citing conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer echoing his warnings "about Russia’s shadow fleet, about Venezuela’s oil-for-access deals with China and Russia," and about "Qatar’s private jet 'gift' to Trump."

Parnas then shifted to the Trump–Elon Musk fallout, writing, "my sources — and believe me, these are real insiders, not cable pundits — tell me the truth is far from what they’re showing the public. Trump and Musk are finished. The relationship is over. Personal. Bitter. And escalating."

All these things point to "MAGA's digital empire" being ripped apart, Parnas wrote.

He maintained that MAGA is being "forced to choose sides — between the tech billionaire who gave them a platform, and the man who built the movement they worshipped."

Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson also played into Parnas's prediction when he yelled at Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), then told Steve Bannon, “If Trump attacks Iran, it’ll be the end of MAGA.”

"That wasn’t a warning. That was a death sentence," Parnas wrote, adding, "Tucker is telling the movement: this man will destroy you."

Trump contradicting his director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, on Iran with a dismissive, "I don't care what she said," then voicing his opinion that Iran was "very close" to nuclear capabilities," was the nail in the coffin, according to Parnas.

"This is what authoritarian collapse looks like from the inside," Parnas wrote. "Trump is unraveling. His inner circle is splintering. And the movement that once blindly followed him — from Congress to Twitter to Truth Social to the Senate floor — is now eating itself alive."

Read the Substack article here.

'Rattled': Former Trump associate claims MAGA stalwarts are starting to falter

Lev Parnas, a former Donald Trump associate who served time for campaign finance violations, claimed in a new Substack article that the scales are falling from the eyes of MAGA stalwarts who aren't liking what they see the president doing to the country.

The biggest dissenter thus far, according to Parnas, is Elon Musk, who has turned on Trump like a viper just days after being ushered out of the White House with a gold commemorative key in thanks for his work on the Department of Government Efficiency.

Musk eviscerated Trump's pride-and-joy -- the "big, beautiful bill" that has become the cornerstone of his second term.

"I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore," Musk posted to his X account. "This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it."

Not only is Musk now vowing to work against those Republicans who support the bill, he's refusing to take House Speaker Mike Johnson's phone calls to discuss the matter.

"I’ve seen how this works from the inside," Parnas wrote. "When loyalty turns to silence, and silence turns to defiance — it’s over. The myth of Trump’s control starts to collapse. But Elon is just the loudest crack. The truth is, Trump’s empire is fracturing on every front."

Parnas cited Trump's massive tariffs that are "backfiring hard" and causing "even longtime MAGA voters" to start "to grumble." He also noted Trump's abandonment of "America First" in favor of his own self-interest, and the discontent it's causing among MAGA influencers and lawmakers alike.

"I was on the inside. I watched the corruption grow. I watched the loyalty tests, the grift, the manipulation," Parnas wrote. "And I’m telling you now: the very foundation of Trump’s power — fear and obedience — is crumbling. Elon might be the first to break publicly, but he won’t be the last. There are lawmakers. There are donors. There are insiders. I promise you, they are rattled. And some of them are looking for a way out."

Read Lev Parnas's Substack here.

'Machine starting to stutter': Ex-insider says MAGA 'loyalists' doubting Trump

Those closest to Donald Trump are starting to question the president, according to a former insider.

Author and former Trump associate Lev Parnas, who has reported on Trump's purported "humiliation" by Russia's Putin, on Sunday published an article entitled "Trump Is Tearing It All Down — But There Is Hope," in which he explains all the harm he sees Trump doing to our nation.

"We have a president, twice impeached, now back in power, ignoring court rulings and pardoning domestic extremists — people who plotted to kidnap a sitting governor — while openly mocking the rule of law," he said, adding, "So yes — it’s understandable to feel overwhelmed. But here’s the truth you need to hold onto."

EXCLUSIVE: Trump accused of new grift that puts Qatari plane in shade

Parnas proudly proclaims, "In darkness, there is still hope."

"The louder Trump gets, the more people start to whisper," he added, before dropping some news from his MAGA sources.

"Behind the scenes, beyond the headlines, the machine is starting to stutter. My sources — real people inside the Trump orbit — are telling me something new. Some of the die-hard loyalists, the ones who were all in, are starting to look the other way," he wrote. "They’re not jumping ship — not yet — but they’re asking quiet questions. They’re thinking outside the cult. They’re starting to feel the weight of what this man is doing, not just to the country, but to them. And that’s the thing about darkness: it always looks most complete just before the light breaks through."

Parnas further said, "Think about it — Trump’s strength comes from intimidation, from silence, from exhaustion. He wants you to feel like it’s over. He needs you to feel powerless. Because the second we all remember we can fight back — that’s when the tide turns."

"And we are fighting back," he added optimistically.

Read the full article here.

'Stop whining Donny': Convicted Trump ally tells ex-president 'it's time to pay the piper'

A man who was prosecuted for what he says were crimes he committed on behalf of Donald Trump has a serious warning for the former president.

Trump on Saturday attacked a key witness in his felony criminal trial slated for Monday, prompting some to ask if there will be "consequences" for the apparent violation of a gag order in the hush money case. Trump's gag order was recently strengthened after Trump repeatedly attacked the judge's daughter for her company's ties to top Democrats.

Trump's attacks also caused some harsh words from Lev Parnas, who says he worked with Trump's inner circle to build a Joe Biden conspiracy theory. Parnas is known as a former associate of "America's Mayor" Rudy Giuliani, a key ally of Trump.

ALSO READ: Revealed: What government officials privately shared about Trump not disclosing finances

Parnas, who has been rolling out the receipts from his time in Trump's orbit, was found guilty on October 22, 2021, after a two-week jury trial on campaign finance and false statements offenses, and pleaded guilty to participating in a wire fraud conspiracy several months after that.

On Saturday, Parnas addressed Trump directly while quoting the former president's attack from earlier in the day, which was directed at his former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen.

"Stop whining Donny, it’s time to pay the piper!!!" Parnas wrote. He added, "I was prosecuted, and [Cohen] was prosecuted for the crimes we committed on your behalf!!!"

Parnas then made a prediction about Trump's chances in the criminal hush money trial, where the ex-president stands accused of falsifying business records to conceal a scheme to hide information about a purported affair with an adult film star.

"Now you will finally be prosecuted, convicted, and incarcerated for the crimes you committed against the United States Of America!!!" Parnas added.

'Never before seen': Ex-Giuliani associate posts video 'Republicans don't want you to see'

Lev Parnas is rolling out more receipts proving his narrative that Trump's former attorney and ex New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was trumpeting foul play committed by President Joe Biden and his family despite knowing fully well he didn't have the goods.

Filming himself seated at a table with Giuliani and another gentleman, Parnas can be seen holding a cell phone up reportedly with Ukrainian Prosecutor General Victor Shokin speaking.

Giuliani tells him, "I guess what I'm getting at is — I understand that. I understand why that's wrong; is there any specific act that any of these people performed? Did they get a kickback? Did they get a bribe?"

ALSO READ: ‘Don't have enough’: Wealthy Trump allies balk at helping Donald pay legal bills

Shokin unflinchingly answers back: "No."

Parnas, a convicted criminal who was also a former associate of Rudy Giuliani, released the video days after he made headlines while testifying before the House of Representatives to say that Giuliani knowingly spread misinformation from Russia about Biden.

Recently, Parnas, who is appearing to come clean with his actions in the past, said that he told the FBI in 2019 that the GOP's anti-Joe Biden informant should not to be trusted.

Keeping with the theme of showing what he claims to know, Parnas released the "never before seen" clip by calling it, "THE VIDEO THE REPUBLICANS DON'T [sic] WANT YOU TO SEE."

The video relates to the origins of Giuliani going out to suggest Biden's son Hunter Biden was mixed up in questionable money scheme with a Ukrainian energy company Burisma, where he served on the board.

He went on to solicit story pitches lifted from Hunter Biden's laptop to news outlets.

A year prior, Giuliani had badmouthed reportedly Kremlin-aligned prosecutor, Shokin, whom the Ukrainian Parliament supposedly sacked for failing to clamp down on corruption.

Watch below or click the link here.

Revealed: New texts allegedly show Devin Nunes aide organizing Biden disinformation plot

Former Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas released what he claims to be texts showing an aide to former Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) coordinating with Trump allies how to spread Biden/Ukraine conspiracy theories.

Parnas, who has been slowly rolling out his correspondences with figures in Trump world, was part of Giuliani's effort to push the idea that Biden sought to oust a Ukrainian prosecutor before his son's business holdings could be investigated, which has been repeatedly debunked.

"Devin Nunes with his aide Derek Harvey coordinated with John Solomon, Victoria Toensing, and Rudy Giuliani how to disseminate the disinformation that they sent me to go get on Hunter and Joe Biden!" Parnas posted to X, teasing that there would be "more to come."

ALSO READ: A criminologist explains why half of America does not care about Trump's crimes

The texts show Parnas speaking with Harvey, who told him that right-wing reporter John Solomon "needs to get me the material," and they needed to set up a Skype call with "your four people." He later told Parnas that ne needed to "prep a staff lawyer."

The idea that Biden and his son arranged a bribery or extortion scheme was the basis of former President Donald Trump's attempt to extort Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which led to his first impeachment trial.

It has also been the basis for the GOP's effort to impeach Biden this year, although reports indicate House Republicans are coming to grips with the idea they cannot muster the evidence to do so.

Devin Nunes with his aide Derek Harvey coordinated with John Solomon, Victoria Toensing, and Rudy Giuliani how to disseminate the disinformation that they sent me to go get on Hunter and Joe Biden!\nStay tuned more to come!\n#LevRemembers #ShadowDiplomacy
— (@)

Lev Parnas 'rolling out the receipts' by posting email 'Republicans don't want you to see'

Lev Parnas, who says he worked with Rudy Giuliani to build a Joe Biden conspiracy theory, is unleashing the "receipts."

Parnas, who recently said that he told the FBI in 2019 that the GOP's anti-Joe Biden informant should not to be trusted, also made headlines when he testified at an impeachment hearing.

After the hearing, Parnas took to social media to post an email he says the Republicans "don't want you to see."

ALSO READ: Here's why conservative elites are bailing on Trump now

"Here you have it, the email that the republicans don’t want you to see!" Parnas posted on Friday. "Stay tuned more to come! #LevRemembers #ShadowDiplomacy"

The post included an email screenshot from Parnas to The Hill's John Solomon and others.

"Wow," Parnas wrote. It was apparently in response to Solomon saying he "got all 261 pages of bank records that the FBI gathered showing transfers from Burisma Holdings to a JP Morgan Account in NYC (via Cyprus) and then into Hunter Biden's and Devon Archer's personal accounts."

"There's at least $3.2 million that came from Burisma into US between April 2014 and August 2016," he added. "One of the recipients looks to be a retirement account called Biden LLC. There are also payments for an $85,000 watch and a $125,000 antique car. Source says it is evidence of classic looting."

Days earlier, Parnas accused Solomon and others of knowingly pushing a false narrative about Biden.

In response to the Parnas post, legal and political experts suggested that Republicans brace themselves.

"[Parnas] starts to roll out receipts -- in this case, that John Solomon claimed he got private records re Hunter Biden from the FBI by March 2019," according to legal analyst Marcy Wheeler, of EmptyWheel.

Former GOP lawmaker Denver Riggleman had this to say:

"His emails. Lev was there, folks," he wrote on Friday. "And were the records really what the 'FBI gathered?' Hard to know that anything said by Solomon on sourcing or validation is true here."

'Is that a threat?' Witnesses go at each other during Matt Gaetz's questions

During Wednesday's impeachment hearing, Rep. Matt Gaetz's (R-FL) was momentarily forced to play referee.

It was his turn to ask questions in the House Oversight and Judiciary Committee's impeachment hearing on Capitol Hill as part of Republicans' ongoing investigation of President Joe Biden and his family.

But he was interrupted by a volley of trash talk between the Republican witness and former Hunter Biden business associate Tony Bobulinski and convicted onetime Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas.

ALSO READ: Trump is exploiting, abusing, playing, bending and breaking the legal system.

"So, I guess Mr. Bobulinski, as you hear, Maxwell Frost, my colleague on the Democrat side say that Mr. Parnas fresh off of his prison time is the most credible witness we've had to address these business dealings what's your reaction to that?"

Bobulinski responded, "I think it's laughable that the Democrats are asking Lev Parnas to weigh in on my credibility," he said.

He then cut into Parnas as a convicted felon while he has "an impeccable record."

Parnas did serve time in federal prison after being found guilty in 2021 on campaign finance and false statements offenses. (He pleaded guilty to participating in a wire fraud conspiracy.)

Bobulinski suggested that Parnas appeared to threaten him.

"Now, he warned me earlier in this hearing that 'they're coming for me' --"

Parnas cut in, "Keep lying, you'll be there soon."

Then Bobulinski asked: "Well, is that a threat Mr. Parnas?"

"No, it's just the truth... I said 'If you keep lying you will end up in prison."'

Bobolinski then shot back. "I'm not lying, you're the one who was lying. You're the one who went to prison."

"What am I lying," asked Parnas.

Bobulinski sarcastically retorted: "The list is long we don't have enough time."

And Parnas appeared to vent at Rep. Gates.

"I think you're a little scared like Mr. Gates, I think you're a little scared just like Mr. Gates because Mr. Gates doesn't even ask a question," said Parnas. "I've been here for six hours and not one of your committee members had asked me one question. You want to hear the truth?"

"I asked a question about your illegal business dealings," Gaetz scolded Parnas before ignoring him. "Mr. Bobulinski fraud is a crime, right?"

He answered: "Correct. Fraud is a crime."

Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer publicly invited Bobulinski and also another Hunter associate Jason Galanis to appear alongside Hunter Biden and as well as another witness, Devon Archer.

Both Hunter Biden and Archer didn't appear.

Watch the interaction below or click the link here.

'Giuliani never cared': Associate Lev Parnas says Rudy knew Biden lies came from Russia

Lev Parnas, the former associate to Rudy Giuliani who helped him push purportedly false claims about the Biden family taking international bribes, said on MSNBC Wednesday that everyone in his circle were aware they were being fed Russian disinformation — and didn't care.

This comes after Parnas asserted that he told the FBI as far back as 2019 that Alexander Smirnov, the "informant" arrested by the FBI this month for pushing false allegations about Biden, was not telling the truth.

"I built a relationship with a very big Trump lobbyist, Brian Ballard, at the time," said Parnas. "A combination between the donations and the relationship with him, I was able to become a very big insider in Trump's inner circle. I met Giuliani in the summertime of 2018. When I say met, I had met him several times previously. That's when we got pretty close. We started spending time every day, and I could tell Ukraine was always on his mind. At that time he was looking at Ukraine for the Paul Manafort stuff, the black ledger and certain stuff."

ALSO READ: How Speaker Mike Johnson’s dream of bipartisan decency died in his hands

"One evening we were sitting in the Grand Havana Room, and Giuliani got a call from Art Schwartz, I think it was, one of his investigators at the time that was doing research on Ukraine, and had some breaking information," said Parnas. "He had a whistleblower that was basically telling him information about Hunter Biden on the board of directors and other information about the black ledger. We were sitting, me and Igor [Fruman], with him, having drinks. Rudy started talking about what he was on the phone about with us. When he started talking, he started talking that we knew a lot of the players, we heard a lot of the same information and we were eager to participate in the conversation. Within a half hour—"

"This whole idea, the black ledger stuff, the allegation was supposed to be that Joe Biden and Hunter Biden, when Joe Biden was vice president, were taking bribes to protect this company, Burisma, that Hunter Biden sat on the board of," said anchor Joy Reid. "Is that the same story you were also peddling, and do you now say that story was made up?"

"Absolutely. That was the same story," said Parnas. "I've been saying it was made up for the past four years. Since my arrest I've been screaming that it was made up. Not only was it made up, I've shown the world that the people doing it were Russian agents, and Giuliani never cared, [John] Solomon never cared, Fox News never cared, as long as it fit their narrative. That was the information that was pushed."

"Who fed you that story?" asked Reid.

"It was a bunch of people," he replied. "Most of them had ties to Russian oligarchs or Russian agents or Russian government officials. Some of them were actual Ukrainian officials that also had ties. At the end it was all the same people pushing the same story that was coming from the same source: Russia."

Watch the video below or at the link right here.

Lev Parnas says his cohorts knew they were being fed Russian lieswww.youtube.com