Lev Parnas

Giuliani Associate Parnas Claims Trump Ordered Ukraine Ambassador Firing Before Recall

Trump "fired her probably, at least — to my knowledge — at least four, five times," Parnas said, referring to former ambassador Marie Yovanovitch

Lev Parnas, an associate of Rudy Giuliani with ties to Ukraine, arrives for a bail hearing in federal court, Dec. 17, 2019, in New York.
Mark Lennihan/AP

Lev Parnas, the indicted associate of Rudy Giuliani, claimed in an interview that aired Thursday that President Donald Trump fired, or believed he fired, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine several times before her recall was publicly announced in April.

"He fired her probably, at least — to my knowledge — at least four, five times," Parnas said in the second part of an interview on MSNBC’s "The Rachel Maddow Show," according to a transcript. Parnas and another man have been charged with allegedly funneling money from foreign entities to U.S. candidates in a scheme to buy political influence.

Trump associate Lev Parnas said the president was part of, and knew about, his involvement in a pressure campaign in Ukraine to open an investigation into the Bidens during his explosive interview with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow.

Parnas did not say how he knew Trump previously tried to fire Marie Yovanovitch, but he appeared to indicate he learned about it at a dinner.

"I don't know how the issue is — the conversation came up, but I do remember me telling the president that the ambassador was badmouthing him and saying that he was going to get impeached. Something to that effect," Parnas told Maddow.

Read the full story on NBCNews.com

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