Lev Parnas’ attorney Joseph Bondy is set to attend the Senate impeachment trial tomorrow during the first day of the question-answer period. His co-counsel Stephanie Schuman is also expected to appear, The Daily Beast has learned.
“Like many other New York constituents, Mr. Bondy reached out and asked for gallery tickets, and we said yes,” said Justin Goodman, a spokesperson for Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the Senate Minority Leader.
Bondy told The Daily Beast Tuesday that his client was also trying to attend tomorrow’s proceedings in the Senate trial but would be unlikely to be able to enter the chamber because he wears an ankle monitor. Senate rules bar individuals from bringing any electronics into the chamber during the trial. Tuesday evening, U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken indeed modified Parnas' pretrial release to allow him to travel to Washington, but denied the removal of his monitor.
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Parnas, a Florida businessman, worked with Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani to investigate a company linked to former Vice President Joe Biden. He was charged with election-related crimes in October and has pleaded not guilty. Parnas’ work with Giuliani is a core part of Democrats’ arguments to remove the president for abuse of power.
Parnas has provided materials, including phone records, to House investigators over the last several weeks. Bondy has publicly lobbied for lawmakers to bring his client in for questioning on his interactions with Giuliani, President Donald Trump, and others caught up in the U.S.-Ukraine scandal. Bondy’s appearance tomorrow comes as senators debate whether to allow former National Security Adviser John Bolton into the chamber for questioning or whether to allow lawmakers to view his manuscript in a classified setting.
