Parnas Says He’s ‘Scared’ Of DOJ, Claims Trump’s Power Has Grown Under AG Barr
Lev Parnas, an associate of Rudy Giuliani at the center of the pressure campaign to dig up dirt on Joe Biden, said he is speaking out about his knowledge of President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign in Ukraine because he wanted to “get the truth out,” but he noted that despite doing so, he was more afraid of the Justice Department than of any criminals.
“I regret certain things that I did,” Parnas told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow in an interview that aired Thursday, the second part of a sweeping discussion about his past work for the president. He later noted he was fearful of U.S. Attorney General William Barr, whom he described as a political power who has only elevated Trump’s authority.
“Am I scared? Yes, because I think I’m more scared of our own Justice Department than these criminals right now. The scariest part is getting locked in some room and being treated as an animal when you did nothing wrong. … That’s the tool they’re using because they’re trying to scare me into not talking.”
Parnas also likened Trump to a “cult leader” who had an unwavering field of Republican lawmakers supporting him.
“It was like being in a cult,” Parnas told Maddow of his dealings with the president. “When they say organized crime? I don’t think Trump is like organized crime. I think he’s like a cult leader.”
He added: “The difference between why Trump is so powerful now… he wasn’t as powerful in ’16 and ’17: He became that powerful when he got William Barr.”
"After analyzing all the evidence and sitting back and really understanding what's going on, I don't think Vice President Biden did anything wrong. I think he was protecting our country and getting rid of, probably, a crooked attorney general." -Lev Parnas pic.twitter.com/SWNe71SKqo
— Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) January 17, 2020
Parnas has bounced between media outlets this week to make a series of bombshell claims about Trump’s involvement in an effort to smear...
