Stephen Colbert: Lev Parnas threw Trump under the Ukraine bus
By Matt Moore
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert explained how Rudy Giuliani’s associate Lev Parnas may have exposed President Trump’s role in the Ukraine scandal.
When the world was introduced to Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, the associates of Rudy Giuliani made for an easy late night punchline. At the time, few could have guessed that it would be Parnas who delivered some of the most damning evidence implicating President Donald Trump in criminal activity. But as The Late Show with Stephen Colbert explained, that’s exactly what happened.
Parnas and Fruman were arrested for violating campaign finance laws. There appearances and company Fraud Guarantee were immediately in every late night monologue and bit on the Ukraine scandal. Most of the energy focused on their relationship with President Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and how Giuliani could be unraveling the Trump White House.
But Lev Parnas put himself front and center with an interview on The Rachel Maddow Show in which he indicated that President Trump was well aware of the entire plot to pressure Urkaine into election interference. Parnas also implied that former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch was under physical surveillance spearheaded by President Trump’s allies.
It was another shocking twist in a story that has been nothing but twists and shady characters. Thursday night’s monologue on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert looked at Parnas’ interview and how it could signal even more bad news for President Trump.
Stephen Colbert does noting to downplay the significance of the Lev Parnas interview when he introduces the story. There was already evidence that President Trump was aware of the “quid pro quo” scheme but many Republicans dismissed or ignored such information. But Colbert doesn’t think it will be so easy to look the other way after what Parnas revealed.
As if the audience still needed to be convinced, Colbert turned to a live recreation of his popular popcorn eating GIF. Parnas came ready to throw President Trump under the bus and set the record straight.
Colbert highlights how Parnas directly addressed President Trump’s defense that he did not no Parnas or Igor Fruman. The “I don’t know him” defense is a popular one used by President Trump anytime he is connected to a scandalous individual, someone under investigation, or a convicted criminal.
After a few more interview clips of Parnas, Colbert calls it with a “ding ding ding, gun smoking, fat lady singing, bomb shelled” declaration. President Trump was implicated in the scheme to withhold military aid from Ukraine in exchange for investigating his political rival Joe Biden.
light. Related Story. Colbert rips Devin Nunes over alleged Ukraine meetings
No matter how convinced Stephen Colbert is of this new evidence, it won’t change much on the Republican side. For the same reason late night hosts and others mocked Lev Parnas when he was introduced, GOP members will dismiss him as a liar and untrustworthy. Around and around it goes through another twist and turn. But at least The Late Show is trying to get the story straight.