Donald Trump Jr. makes a cameo in Lev Parnas' Ukraine documents

(Image credit: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

published 16 January 2020

Lev Parnas torched his bridges Wednesday. He told The New York Times he's eager to cooperate with federal prosecutors investigating his former associate Rudy Giuliani, and on MSNBC he implicated President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Attorney General William Barr, and Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) in the Giuliani-led effort to dig up dirt on Joe Biden in Ukraine. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Energy Secretary Rick Perry are apparently on the menu in the upcoming second part of Parnas' interview with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow.

But Parnas also released a trove of documents through the House Intelligence Committee, and Donald Trump Jr. made a small appearance in a text message exchange between Parnas and Joseph Ahearn, a GOP fundraiser then affiliated with the pro-Trump super PAC America First Action.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Later that day, Ahearn asked Parnas over text message: "What should I send Don to tweet?" Parnas sent him back articles critical of Yovanovitch, saying, "Have jr. retweet it." Ahearn replied: "Sent." It's "unclear" if Ahearn actually sent the request to Don Jr., the Times notes, but Don Jr. did retweet a GOP strategist slamming Yovanovitch and, a few days later, posted his own criticism of Yovanovitch.

Explore More

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.