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File this little noticed news under the category of Hard Evidence of Trump’s Guilt:
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In the wake of their arrest for allegedly violating federal campaign finance laws, President Trump repeatedly said he did not know either Parnas or Fruman. Despite there being no apparent conflict of interest regarding their legal counsel, however, it appears that Dowd only began representing the two recently indicted GOP mega-donors after President Trump personally okayed the hiring, according to the New York Times.
In an Oct. 2 email to Dowd, Trump’s personal attorney Jay Sekulow confirmed the president’s personal approval of the attorney-client relationship.
“I have discussed the issue of representation with the president. The president consents to allowing your representation of Mr. Parnas and Mr. Furman,” Sekulow wrote. Dowd told the Times that Trump was asked “simply as a courtesy to the president,” considering Dowd’s past representation of him.
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lawandcrime.com — Nov 5, 2019
Trump’s Lawyer just confirmed this “sign off” — to represent “those two gentlemen that Trump never heard of” … he made this confession, in a heated exchange, to this reporter from www.courthousenews.com yesterday:
What’s more, in the same exchange Jay Sekulow denies Trump knew anything about this Dowd “permission slip”, even though his email to Dowd clearly stated:
“I have discussed the issue of representation with the president. The president consents to allowing your representation of Mr. Parnas and Mr. Furman.”
Remember when Lev Parnas detailed this situation to Rachel Maddow — when immediately after his arrest there was some dispute/haggling over exactly who, his first lawyer would be?
… ie. was Lev Parnas on Team Trump, or not?
Given Sekulow’s documented email trail — apparently Yes indeed, Parnas (and Fruman too) were indeed on the Team. And with Trump’s approval no less. In writing.
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This hard evidence trail is rather damning given the disclosure of a Fruman tape, recording Trump giving Lev and Igor mafia-like instructions, with respect to Ukraine Ambassador Yovanovitch, as reported by ABC News.
It’s not like Lev and Igor had the power to “fire Yovanovitch” or anything. In that context, the “Take her out. Do it.” directive can only have relatively few possible meanings. None of them good. None of them legal either.
If this Trump-Fruman-Parnas tape makes it to prime-time — Everything changes.
Especially, if it is coupled with this Jay Sekulow “written confession” … that Trump wanted Parnas to have only “the best” representation — in the aftermath of his ground-shifting arrest.
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PS. Parnas fired Dowd, after it became clear to him that John Dowd was only there to shut him up, only there to make him take the rap … all on his lonesome. Like he was never a member of Team Trump, afterall.
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ABC News has posted excerpts from the Fruman Tape here.
Let the great unraveling begin …
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