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Let’s do a rundown of the indictment of Igor Fruman and Lev Parnas, which stemmed from our July 2018 FEC complaint.https://campaignlegal.org/update/clc-complaint-results-arrest-two-ukrainian-american-trump-donors-connected-giuliani …
DOJ is charging Fruman and Parnas with conspiring to violate campaign finance law’s straw donor ban and foreign national contribution ban. And they were charged with two counts of lying to the FEC when responding to the allegations in our complaint. https://campaignlegal.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/indictment%20searchable.pdf …pic.twitter.com/D6VwoXwtuj
Let's break it down. Count one: conspiracy to violate the "straw donor" ban, 52 USC 30122, which bars a person from making contributions in the name of another person.pic.twitter.com/2KduAv0ryj
As we documented in July 2018, Trump’s super PAC, America First Action (“Committee 1” in the indictment), received $325K from Global Energy Producers LLC in May 2018, a company formed weeks prior to the donation. https://campaignlegal.org/update/new-wire-transfer-records-reveal-shady-foreign-ties-pro-trump-super-pac … In reality, the money never came from GEP.pic.twitter.com/xU2nNYkoT0
Fruman and Parnas violated the law by falsely attributing the money to GEP. Parnas also made contributions to federal candidates (like Pete Sessions) in his name, when the funds came from Fruman. This money laundering violates federal law’s straw donor ban.pic.twitter.com/kJMJxMu2M4
According to the indictment, they engaged in this scheme to “buy potential influence with [politicians]” and “to advance their personal financial interests and the political interests of at least one Ukrainian government official with whom they were working.”pic.twitter.com/s3V2tpeT0E
For example, they bought access to Rep. Pete Sessions (“Congressman 1”), who opened his doors in response to Parnas’ and Fruman’s political giving. Then, at their apparent request, he urged Secretary of State Pompeo to fire the U.S. ambassador.pic.twitter.com/lKyncODPF3
Fruman and Parnas wanted the ambassador out of the way to advance their corrupt business plans in Ukraine. But other powerful political figures wanted her out, too. More in this thread from earlier this week:https://twitter.com/brendan_fischer/status/1181709219449524224?s=20 …
And of course, Parnas and Fruman were acting as emissaries in Ukraine for Giuliani as he sought to encourage investigations into Trump’s political rivals. Laundered political contributions were one way that the pair bought access. Offering dirt on Trump’s rivals was another.
Count II and III: Lying to the FEC, and filing false records with the FEC.pic.twitter.com/PbR8FCMoxM
In response to our FEC complaint alleging GEP was not the true source of the $325K, Fruman and Parnas told the FEC that the donation “was made with GEP funds for GEP purposes.” That was not true. And those false statements and falsified records led to two criminal counts.pic.twitter.com/UWTVTw0Dv4
Count IV: conspiracy to violate 52 USC 30122 & 30121, the foreign national contribution ban and straw donor ban.pic.twitter.com/a2i14MwA84
This stuff was new to me. Fruman, Parnas, and some associates were trying to get a pot business going, with a Russian-born “Foreign National 1” fronting the money. To get licenses, they figured they needed to donate to politicians (which says a lot about our political system).pic.twitter.com/gcfCFsAOpZ
So the foreign national wired $1M, and Fruman made donations in his own name, using that money. That violated the foreign national contribution ban, as well as the straw donor ban.
Zooming out: the indictment, in many ways, is an indictment of our big-money system. It is a stunning example of the cash-for-access system that has become far too commonplace in our democracy.
Fruman and Parnas used big contributions to buy access to politicians to push their own financial interests and the interests of foreign government officials. But it was only illegal because they used foreign and laundered funds to do it.
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