Perry was messenger sent to Zelenskiy for Trump, Parnas says
WASHINGTON — Former U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry played a key role as a messenger in President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign on the Ukrainian government last spring, says Lev Parnas, the indicted former associate of Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani.
Perry was sent to the Ukrainian president’s inauguration in place of Vice President Mike Pence to deliver the message that the new president needed to publicly announce an investigation into Joe Biden, Parnas said in an interview with MSNBC.
“He called Rudy on his way there to ask him what to discuss, and Rudy told him to make sure to give him the message,” Parnas said about Perry, adding that the message was “absolutely” that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy needed to announce an investigation into the former vice president, Trump’s political rival.
It’s the most detailed account to emerge about the former Texas governor’s involvement in the scandal that led to Trump’s impeachment by the U.S. House. The impeachment articles allege that Trump abused his power by withholding military aide from Ukraine until leaders there agreed to investigate Biden.
The news comes days before Trump’s trial in the Senate is set to begin in earnest. Whether or not senators will call additional witnesses to testify has been among the biggest question marks — and some are now urging the Senate to question Parnas.
Republicans and the Trump White House have been quick to question Parnas’ credibility. Parnas faces federal charges, accused of illegally funneling foreign cash into U.S. elections.
“I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and close Trump ally, told Politico.
While there’s no indication yet that Perry would even make a potential witness list, Democrats including Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro have long called for an investigation into his dealings with Ukraine. Like other administration officials, Perry refused to comply with a subpoena from House Democrats during the impeachment inquiry — which is part of what led them to impeach Trump for obstruction, as well as abuse of power.
Perry was one of several senior Trump administration officials who knew about and approved of Trump’s attempt to “use the powers of his office to solicit foreign interference on his behalf in the 2020 election,” according to a report by House Democrats.
The report said Perry was one of the so-called “Three Amigos” whom Trump put in charge of dealing with Ukraine. Trump ordered the group, which included Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland and Ambassador Kurt Volker, special representative for Ukraine negotiations, to work with Giuliani, the report says. The three led the U.S. delegation to Zelenskiy’s inauguration in May.
Parnas, in the interview with Rachel Maddow, said Perry called Giuliani after Zelenskiy’s inauguration, “telling him that he spoke to Zelenskiy, and Zelenskiy’s going to do it.”
Zelenskiy did announce a broader investigation into corruption following the meeting, Parnas said, but it wasn’t good enough.
“Every time somebody would meet Zelenskiy, they would agree and then they would walk it back,” he said. “So they announced something about corruption — that’s he going to deal with corruption. And Giuliani blew his lid on that, saying that’s not what we discussed.”
U.S. Rep. Al Green, a Houston Democrat and longtime advocate for impeachment, told Hearst Newspapers he thought Parnas seemed credible in the Maddow interview.
“I think he ought to be heard,” Green said. “Somebody should call him as a witness.”