Lindsey Graham Was ‘In The Loop’ About Alleged Ukraine Pressure Campaign, Lev Parnas Says

In a Wednesday appearance on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, indicted former Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas said that South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham was “in the loop” about President Donald Trump and his campaign’s alleged efforts to pressure Ukraine to dig up dirt on the Bidens, Newsweek reports.

Parnas claimed he is unaware of how “deeply involved” Graham was in the alleged pressure campaign and said he did not come into direct contact with the senator. Nevertheless, the claim sheds doubt on Graham’s bias amid the Senate trial on the impeachment articles of Trump, which stem from his actions related to Ukraine.

According to Parnas’ lawyer, Joseph Bondy, Giuliani showed his client a letter that was allegedly given to Graham. The message reportedly urged for sanctions against Ukrainian officials, including one who ran Burisma, where Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, was a board member.

Parnas, who arrived in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, claims to be in the capital to apply pressure to U.S. senators to ensure a fair trial that spotlights the truth.

“I think it’s important that the truth gets out and witnesses get called. I thought it would put a little extra pressure on some of the senators if they see me there, knowing that I’m one of the crucial witnesses to this whole thing.”

As for Graham, Parnas claims it was “surreal” to see him arguing on behalf of Trump.

“It was surreal then to watch Lindsey Graham up there… he’s out there talking about all this stuff, that this is a sham, this should go away, when at the end of the day, he was in the loop just like everyone else.”

According to Parnas, Graham was aware of Giuliani’s efforts in Ukraine as far back as at least 2018 and was involved with Trump’s personal lawyer before he was.

Graham, who has been a fierce defender of Trump amid the impeachment probe, claims that his Senate panel may investigate Joe Biden and Ukraine following the conclusion of the impeachment trial. However, he broke with some Republicans and claimed he does not want to hear from Hunter Biden as a witness in the impeachment trial.

Contrary to Graham, many members of the GOP are pushing to hear from Joe Biden and Hunter Biden as Democrats push to hear testimony from former National Security Advisor John Bolton. The push for Bolton has become more intense following reports that his upcoming book confirms that Trump withheld military aid from Ukraine to secure investigations into his political rivals.