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Giuliani associate claims Pence didn't attend Ukrainian president's inauguration because Ukraine didn't announce an investigation into the Bidens

Rudy Giuliani's associate Lev Parnas gave an exclusive interview to MSNBC's Rachel Maddow on Wednesday.

FILE - In this Oct. 21, 2019, file photo, Vice President Mike Pence speaks at the opening ceremony of the International Astronautical Congress, in Washington. President Donald Trump closed out the old year by reprising a selection of his most familiar falsehoods and putting a few of his predecessor's accomplishments in his own win column. Pence, seeking to justify the U.S. military's targeted killing of a top Iranian general, helped begin the new year with a baseless claim tying that general to the 9/11 attacks. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
  • Parnas claimed in the interview that Trump asked Vice President Mike Pence to cancel his trip to Ukraine after the country didn't announce an investigation into the Bidens.
  • He also told Maddow that Pence was "in the loop" on Trump's pressure campaign on Ukraine for an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden.
  • Hunter sat on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma until last April.
  • A fuller picture of Parnas' role in Trump's pressure campaign against Ukraine emerged after the House Intelligence Committee released a slew of documents related to Trump's impeachment trial.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories .
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Rudy Giuliani's Ukrainian associate claimed to MSNBC's Rachel Maddow that Vice President Mike Pence was "in the loop" on the Trump's pressure campaign on Ukraine.

Lev Parnas gave an exclusive interview to "The Rachel Maddow Show" on Wednesday, and claimed that President Donald Trump asked Pence to cancel his trip to Kyiv for Ukrainian President Zelensky's inauguration after Ukraine didn't announce an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden, who served on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma until last April.

"To my awareness, Trump called up and said to make sure Pence doesn't go there," Parnas told Maddow.

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He told Maddow that he was "100%" sure that Pence didn't attend Zelensky's inauguration because the country had not announced the Biden investigation.

"That was the key to where we are today, because after that, take a look at what transpires," Parnas continued. "Within the next couple of days, all of a sudden they realize now they get word because obviously when Pence cancels, they get word that Pence is not coming. So now they realize that what I was telling them was true."

"I'm going to use a famous quote by Mr. [Gordon] Sondland : everybody 'was in the loop,'" Parnas said in response to Maddow's question as to whether the vice president was aware of his presence at the inauguration was contingent on Ukraine's announcement of the investigation.

Parnas' central role in Trump's pressure campaign against Ukraine emerged after the House Intelligence Committee released a slew of documents including text messages, handwritten notes, and a letter from Giuliani to Zelensky related to the impeachment process.

The House voted in December to impeach President Trump on two counts, related to the allegations that he used his power for political gain, and that he obstructed a congressional investigation. Trump has maintained his innocence in the matter, calling the impeachment inquiry a "hoax" and insisting there was no quid pro quo.

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In response to the Parnas interview, Giuliani issued a statement to The Washington Post's Josh Dawsey, saying to "believe him at your peril."

The White House did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Parnas and another of Giuliani's associates, Igor Fruman, were indicted last October on campaign finance violation charges in relation to a donation to a group supporting Trump's re-election campaign. Both pleaded not guilty.

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See Also:

SEE ALSO: A handwritten note on Ritz-Carlton paper shows Giuliani associate Lev Parnas spelling out his top goal for Ukraine's president: Announce a criminal probe into Joe Biden

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