A former associate of ex-Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani has accused Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson of actively working to fulfill Russia’s agenda by seeking evidence of corruption associated with the Biden family.
During his testimony to the House Oversight Committee, Lev Parnas, who collaborated with Giuliani in uncovering damaging information about Joe Biden and his son Hunter in Ukraine prior to the 2020 election, referred to the Oshkosh Republican while discussing the efforts made by Donald Trump and his allies to “manipulate the public” with unverified information about the Bidens.
Parnas informed the panel that the public had been deceived by Donald Trump, Giuliani, and other individuals in government and media positions. He emphasized that the allegations of Biden’s corruption were false both in the past and at present.
According to Parnas, Congressman Pete Sessions, then-Congressman Devin Nunes, and Sen. Ron Johnson, among others, were aware that they were promoting a false narrative. Parnas pointed out that right-wing media personalities, as well as Fox News, used this narrative to manipulate the public leading up to the 2020 election.
Johnson’s spokeswoman promptly dismissed the comments as “baseless.”
Parnas made these remarks during the House Republicans’ impeachment inquiry into Biden. However, no evidence of wrongdoing has been found yet. Parnas, who was convicted of campaign finance, making false statements, and wire fraud in 2022, was called as a witness by Democrats.
Johnson was focused on investigating Hunter Biden’s connection to Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company. At the time, Joe Biden was the vice president and involved in shaping U.S. policy towards Ukraine.
In 2020, Johnson’s investigation was concluded and it did not establish any connection between Biden and a crime. Instead, it revealed that Hunter Biden had enjoyed advantages in his international business dealings due to his family name.
Kiersten Pels, a spokeswoman for Senator Johnson, stated that the reports on Biden family corruption by Senators Johnson and Grassley have never been proven to be false. She emphasized that linking Senator Johnson’s legitimate and accurate oversight work to Russia is spreading a despicable lie that Democrats used in 2020 to discredit his efforts and shield Joe Biden.
Parnas, in his recent testimony, positioned himself as a crucial figure in Trump’s efforts to uncover damaging information about Biden. According to him, he was entrusted with being the main contact for all their endeavors. Parnas went on to disclose that he held meetings with conservative news outlets and close associates of Trump to disseminate what he claimed was intelligence originating from Russia.
Maryland Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin inquired about the means by which Parnas and Giuliani were able to promote the unfounded accusations within the United States. Parnas responded by acknowledging the assistance of Fox News and other conservative media outlets in amplifying these narratives.
“But there were also others who were doing the bidding for the Russians, including people in Congress like Senator Ron Johnson and Congressman Pete Sessions. Congressman Sessions has been with me from the very beginning of this journey to uncover information about Joe Biden.”
Johnson has consistently denied allegations that he promoted Russian disinformation. He asserts that he was actually being set up by the FBI, who warned him in August 2020 that he might become a target of disinformation.
Lev Parnas, former associate of Rudy Giuliani, testifies on a coordinated effort to falsely accuse the Bidens of corruption in Ukraine so that Donald Trump could win the 2020 election. pic.twitter.com/KpdjhOhlF5
— CSPAN (@cspan) March 20, 2024
According to him, the FBI orchestrated a setup by providing him with a “corrupt briefing” and then leaking it to tarnish his reputation. He further stated that the briefing lacked specific details and that he was already aware of the threat posed by Russia.
Weeks after Democratic leaders in Congress expressed concerns to the FBI that Johnson’s investigation could be linked to a Russian disinformation campaign, the briefing took place.
In 2019, Senator Johnson and his team had a meeting with Ukrainian diplomat Andriy Telizhenko. During this meeting, the senator was actively pursuing the theory that Ukraine had interfered in the 2016 election.
Telizhenko and six others were later sanctioned by the U.S. State Department for their attempts to undermine Biden’s candidacy.
Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon accused Johnson of basing his investigation of Biden on Russian disinformation due to the sanctions. Johnson, on the other hand, claims that he thoroughly checked the information provided by Telizhenko before utilizing it.
In December, Republicans in Congress authorized a formal inquiry into President Biden and his family’s business dealings. They have been actively investigating the Biden family’s financial activities.
Despite the GOP’s persistent efforts, they have been unsuccessful in uncovering any evidence of wrongdoing. Unfortunately, their investigation faced a setback when a crucial Republican witness, Alexander Smirnov, was indicted for allegedly lying to investigators regarding the Biden family’s business dealings.
According to Parnas, his work alongside Giuliani yielded no evidence of corruption involving the Bidens and Ukraine. He emphasized that there has been no credible source providing proof of any criminal activity.
In his testimony before the Oversight Committee, Parnas asserted that the American people had been deceived by Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, and others in positions of power. Parnas claimed that these individuals deliberately fabricated falsehoods to advance their own agendas, fully aware that doing so would weaken the country’s foundations.
Ron Johnson allegedly did Russia’s “bidding” on Biden, according to Lev Parnas, a former associate of Rudy Giuliani, as reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
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