Ukraine has recently implicated three allies of U.S. President Donald Trump’s former lawyer Rudy Giuliani in a scheme to discredit former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and help Russia interfere in the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
The allegation was made by Ukrainian prosecutors and uncovered by U.S. media outlets. Reports suggest that the three Giuliani allies are Lev Parnas, Igor Fruman, and Andry Kukushkin. All three are associated with Giuliani’s investigations and have been arrested on federal campaign finance violations. Ukrainian prosecutors say that the men conspired to seek assistance from Ukrainian officials to influence U.S. domestic politics.
The men are accused of trying to help spread false information about Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, who has come under scrutiny for his work with a Ukrainian energy firm while his father was Vice President. According to reports, the three Giuliani allies met with several Ukrainian officials in 2019 in an attempt to have the Ukrainian government launch an investigation into the Bidens.
The news has fueled speculation about whether the three allies had colluded with Russia to influence the election. However, neither the Ukrainian prosecutors nor the U.S. media outlets have offered any evidence to support the assertion that the men were acting as agents of the Russian government.
In addition, U.S. officials have expressed concerns that the accusations could be part of a larger effort to interfere with the 2020 election. Attorney General William Barr has launched an investigation to determine if the men worked with foreign governments to influence the election.
It remains to be seen if the accusations against the three Giuliani allies are true, and if the men will be charged with any crimes. Regardless, the news of Ukraine’s implication could have implications for the 2020 election and could further reveal the extent of Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election.