White House signals Biden to discuss filibuster reform

White House signals NEW YORK (Reuters) – Lev Parnas, a former associate of Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, was found guilty Friday of violating US campaign finance laws during the 2018 election.

Parnas, a Ukrainian-born American businessman, and his former partner Igor Fruman have been accused of soliciting funds from Russian businessman Andrey Muraviev to be donated to candidates in states where the group sought a license to operate a cannabis business in 2018.

Parnas also concealed that he and Fruman, who pleaded guilty in September, were the real source of donations to groups supporting Republican President Trump, prosecutors said. Giuliani’s lawyers said Parnas’ case was separate from an investigation into whether he violated lobbying laws on behalf of Trump.

Giuliani, a US attorney in the 1980s before he was elected New York mayor in 1994, has not been charged with any crimes and denies any wrongdoing.

Parnas was found guilty of six counts of violating federal election law he faced, including illegally helping foreigners contribute to the US election campaign, making contributions on behalf of others, and lying to the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

Andrey Kukushkin, Muraviev’s associate and California resident who was on trial with Parnas, was found guilty on Friday of two counts of campaign finance violations. Kukushkin is also a native of Ukraine.

The trial at the US District Court in Manhattan has attracted attention for the role Parnas and Belarus-born US citizen Fruman played in helping Giuliani, who was Trump’s personal attorney while he was in office, to investigate Democrat Joe Biden during the 2020 presidential campaign. Biden won the election, denying Trump for a second term.

Parnas, dressed in a blue suit, looked straight at the jury as the verdict was read out. Kukushkin, wearing a gray sweater, shook his head after he was found guilty on the second count.

“I never hide from anyone,” Parnas said as he left court wearing a black “Fighting COVID” mask. “I always stand up and try to tell the truth.”

His lawyer Joseph Bondy said they would file a motion to vacate the verdict “in the interests of justice.”

“This is clearly a very difficult time for Pak Parnas and his wife and children,” said Bondy.

US District Judge J. Paul Oetken rejected prosecutors’ requests to detain Parnas and Kukushkin. “The defendants have reasonably determined that they are not at risk of escaping,” Oetken said after the jury left.

Oetken set a sentencing date of February 16 for Kukushkin. He did not set a sentencing date for Parnas, who faces another possible trial on separate fraud charges.

‘IN WELL ON ITS HEAD’

This case provides a glimpse into how political fundraising works in the United States.Biden to discuss filibuster reform

https://gcsd.instructure.com/courses/9767/pages/123movies-watch-heartland-season-15-episode-2-online-full-for-free
https://gcsd.instructure.com/courses/9767/pages/123movies-watch-walker-season-2-episode-1-online-full-for-free
https://gcsd.instructure.com/courses/9767/pages/123movies-watch-star-trek-prodigy-season-1-episode-1-online-full-for-free
https://gcsd.instructure.com/courses/9767/pages/123movies-watch-doctor-who-season-13-episode-1-online-full-for-free
https://gcsd.instructure.com/courses/9767/pages/123movies-watch-queens-season-1-episode-2-online-full-for-free
https://gcsd.instructure.com/courses/9767/pages/123movies-watch-the-bachelorette-season-18-episode-2-online-full-for-free
https://gcsd.instructure.com/courses/9767/pages/123movies-watch-all-american-season-4-episode-1-online-full-for-free
https://gcsd.instructure.com/courses/9767/pages/123movies-watch-4400-season-1-episode-1-online-full-for-free
https://gcsd.instructure.com/courses/9767/pages/123movies-watch-wentworth-season-9-episode-10-online-full-for-free