Lev Parnas: Rick Perry said he told Ukrainian president aid was contingent on Biden investigation


Lev Parnas, the indicted associate of Rudy Giuliani, told MSNBC's Rachel Maddow in an interview that aired Thursday night that former Energy Secretary Rick Perry was directed by Rudy Giuliani to tell Ukraine its U.S. aid was contingent on the country announcing investigations of former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
Parnas alleges that after Giuliani made the request, Perry called him back and said he had been in touch with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and conveyed the message.
Perry left the Trump administration last fall, shortly after reports came out that Perry, U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, and former U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker — dubbed the "three amigos" — were put in charge of Ukraine policy. He later announced he would not comply with a subpoena for the House impeachment inquiry.
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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