Lev Parnas claimed in a new interview Thursday that he was visited in jail by a former attorney for President Trump
Donald Trump Las Vegas hotel that defied coronavirus restrictions loses legal battle Menendez, Rubio ask Yellen to probe meatpacker JBS Vietnam shadow hangs over Biden decision on Afghanistan MORE who told him to cooperate and sacrifice himself for the president.
John Dowd, who once served as an attorney for Trump, briefly served as Parnas's attorney after he was indicted in October for campaign finance violations.
In part two of his interview with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow
Rachel Anne MaddowNunes sues MSNBC, alleging Rachel Maddow defamed him CDC's Walensky is the wrong media messenger on COVID-19 Budowsky: How Biden can defeat COVID-19 for good MORE on Thursday, Parnas recounted firing Dowd. He said during a meeting where he expected to discuss making bail, Dowd instead allegedly told him “Be a good boy," though Parnas admitted that he doesn't remember what Dowd told him verbatim.
In Part 2 of the Maddow interview, Parnas claims that John Dowd --after Trump green-lit him to represent Parnas -- told him to be a "good boy" after he was arrested.
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) January 16, 2020
Maddow: Were they telling you to sacrifice yourself to protect Trump?
Parnas: Yes...they tried to keep me quiet pic.twitter.com/TRptI1jiLq
"I called Dowd to come there. And I started seeing in the process of the bail stuff, the way things were going on ... I didn't feel they were trying to get me out," Parnas said. "John Dowd instead of comforting me and trying to calm me down and telling me I'm going to be OK, he started talking to me like a drill sergeant."
After the interaction, Parnas said he fired Dowd and warned him to get out, or something "bad" would happen.
Pressed by Maddow if they were asking him "to sacrifice [himself] to protect Trump," Parnas replied, "Yes."
He added: "They tried to keep me quiet."
The new allegation comes after Parnas turned over a trove of documents, records and messages as evidence for House investigators, which have since been handed to the Senate as the impeachment trial begins.
In those records, an email from Trump's other lawyer, Jay Sekulow
Jay Alan Sekulow57 House Republicans back Georgia against DOJ voting rights lawsuit The Hill's Morning Report - Presented by TikTok - New video of riot unnerves many senators Trump legal switch hints at larger problems MORE, reveals Trump and Sekulow spoke about Dowd representing Parnas and the other indicted associate Igor Fruman.
“The president consents to allowing your representation of Mr. Parnas and Mr. Furman [sic],” Sekulow wrote in the Oct. 2 email.
The documents indicate Trump's involvement, and the designation of Dowd as Parnas's lawyer before Parnas fired him.
Chuck SchumerBiden confident Republicans will vote to raise debt ceiling Hochul touts readiness, distance from Cuomo Senate confirms Biden's first ambassador MORE (D-N.Y.) saying Thursday he had not ruled the option out. 