2 Giuliani associates who helped him with Ukraine probe arrested

Two foreign-born men who aided Rudy Giuliani, the president’s personal attorney, in his efforts to investigate Joe Biden and Hunter Biden have been arrested on campaign-finance charges. 

The men, Ukrainian-born Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, originally from Belarus, have been charged with conspiring to circumvent federal laws against foreign interference by allegedly engaging in a scheme to funnel foreign money to candidates for state and federal offices. Shortly after the announcement, the Democratic House committees leading the impeachment inquiry into President Trump announced they have subpoenaed Parnas and Furman. 

Both men donated to Republican campaigns, and gave $325,000 to America First Action, a pro-Trump super PAC in 2018. In a statement, a spokesperson for America First Action said that it “placed that contribution in a segregated bank account, [and] it has not been used it for any purpose and the funds will remain in this segregated account until these matters are resolved.”

Both Parnas and Fruman are U.S. citizens.

Giuliani has pressured Ukrainian officials to investigate Joe Biden’s efforts to oust a former Ukrainian prosecutor general as vice president, alleging without evidence that the prosecutor general was investigating a Ukrainian gas firm with ties to Hunter Biden. Mr. Trump’s request to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that he investigate the Bidens has led to the House impeachment inquiry against him. 

Sources tell CBS News that the two men were arrested Wednesday night at Dulles International Airport in Northern Virginia. 

“Parnas and Fruman, who had no significant prior history of political donations, sought to advance their personal financial interests and the political interests of at least one Ukrainian government official with whom they were working,” the indictment reads. “In order to conceal from third parties, including creditors, their sources of funding and capital, Parnas and Fruman created a limited liability corporation, Global Energy Producers, and then intentionally caused certain large contributions to be reported in the name of GEP instead of in their own names.” 

The three Democratic chairmen in charge of the impeachment inquiry into the president had already requested documents from Parnas and Fruman and followed through with a subpoena on Thursday. 

“Your clients are private citizens who are not employees of the Executive Branch,” wrote Chairmen Elijah Cummings, Adam Schiff and Eliot Engel. “They may not evade requests from Congress for documents and information necessary to conduct our inquiry. They are required by law to comply with the enclosed subpoenas. They are not exempted from this requirement merely because they happen to work with Mr. Giuliani, and they may not defy congressional subpoenas merely because President Trump has chosen the path of denial, defiance, and obstruction.”

Attorney General William Barr was briefed on the case in February, shortly after he was confirmed, CBS News White House correspondent Paula Reid reports. Barr has received additional briefings in recent weeks and fully supports the case. 

Andres Triay contributed to this report.