Harris calls for Parnas to testify at Senate trial

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) said Thursday that Lev Parnas, an associate of President Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, should be called to testify as part of the Senate’s impeachment trial in light of new claims Parnas has made regarding Trump’s involvement in the pressure campaign in Ukraine. 

Harris said the credibility of Parnas, who was indicted for and pleaded not guilty to campaign-finance law violations last year, can be determined by the Senate, but added that there’s “no question” that revelations from Parnas made public this week should be reviewed. 

“I think he should be brought before us so that we can determine his credibility. There are many ways to judge credibility,” Harris told MSNBC’s Kasie Hunt. “But there’s no question that the interviews that have occurred in the last 24 hours bring to light facts that should be pursued and should be reviewed by us as the United States Senate.”

Trump’s impeachment trial officially began on Thursday, but senators have yet to agree on if new witnesses and documents should be brought forth. Democrats want to hear from Trump officials including acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and former national security adviser John Bolton, while Republicans have threatened to call Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Hunter Biden, the son of former Vice President Joe Biden who is at the center of Trump’s requests for investigations from Kyiv.

Harris, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, dismissed the notion of making deals as part of the process of getting Republicans on board with voting to have witnesses at the trial. 

“I don’t think this is the moment to make deals. This is the time to do justice. … That means bringing in all relevant facts and evidence,” she said. 

Asked whether she believes the Senate can conduct a fair trial, Harris said if the chamber cannot, “we can talk about the beginning of the end of our democracy and our system of justice.” 

Parnas provided records, which the House released Tuesday, that corroborate details at the heart of Trump’s impeachment, including about a pressure campaign to get Ukraine to announce a probe into the Bidens.

Parnas further implicated Trump in the effort, alleging that the president “knew exactly what was going on” in regards to Ukraine, as part of an interview with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow on Wednesday night. 

The White House has stood by Trump’s claim that the president does not know Parnas, despite Parnas’s claims to the contrary.