GOP Sen Cornyn Dismisses ‘Grifter’ Lev Parnas’ Connections to Trump, Giuliani: ‘Not the Issue’ The Senate Will Decide
Senator John Cornyn made light of Lev Parnas’ allegations against President Donald Trump, referring to Rudy Giuliani’s indicted affiliate as a “grifter” and a hanger-on.”
In an interview with CBS’ Margaret Brennan on Face The Nation, Cornyn dismissed the Government Accountability Office’s determination last week that it was illegal for Trump to withhold Congressionally-approved aid for Ukraine in order to advance his own political agenda.
“[It’s] certainly not a crime and something that no one had ever dreamed in the past would have risen to the level of impeachment,” Cornyn said.
The discussion eventually turned to Parnas, who made huge headlines last week by accusing the president of being informed of his actions, outlining a quid pro quo with Ukraine, and saying Trump was entirely motivated by going after the Bidens when he pressured the Ukrainian government. Brennan asked Cornyn if Parnas’ Ukraine evidence should be admissible in Trump’s Senate trial, specifically the letter saying Giuliani acted with Trump’s approval as he tried to reach out to the Ukrainian government.
Cornyn called that evidence “hearsay,” though Brennan countered that “it’s a letter from Rudy Giuliani.”
“I would be careful before crediting the veracity of someone who is under indictment from the Southern District of New York and who’s trying to get leniency from the prosecutor,” Cornyn answered.
Brennan followed up by asking “doesn’t it trouble you [Parnas] was working so closely with Rudy Giuliani who is acting on the president’s behalf and saying he was acting on the president’s behalf?”
“Well, there’s no question that there have been a series of grifters and hangers on that have associated themselves with the president’s campaign or claim to have special relationships with the president,” Cornyn answered. “But this is not the issue that the Senate is going to be deciding. We’ll take the issue of evidence as it comes. If the impeachment managers want to rest their case on the credibility someone under indictment in the Southern District of New York with extensive ties to Russian oligarchs and organized crime, as you point out, then that’s their choice.”
Watch above, via CBS.
