Lev Parnas, a Ukrainian American businessman who served a 20-month sentence for campaign finance violations involving contributions to Republican politicians including Donald Trump—funds secretly originating from a Russian oligarch—has announced a bid to unseat María Elvira Salazar, the current Republican representative for Florida’s 27th congressional district.
Parnas gained national prominence during Trump’s first impeachment trial in 2019. He was the first to ask Trump to remove the US ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, and subsequently worked with Rudy Giuliani to pressure Ukrainian officials to develop claims of corruption against Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden.
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Parnas has announced he will run as a Democrat. His son, Aaron, is a Democratic activist and social media influencer with 5 million followers on TikTok and nearly 3 million on Instagram, and has been described as “the gen Z Walter Cronkite” by Rolling Stone.
“I’ve spent years speaking out, exposing corruption, and warning about the dangers facing our democracy. Now it’s time to take that fight directly where it belongs — to Congress,” Parnas wrote in a post on X.
Parnas released video from an April 2018 donor dinner with Trump, in which he told the president that removing the US ambassador to Ukraine was “where you need to start.” Trump asked, “The ambassador where, Ukraine?” and Parnas replied that she was telling people to “wait, he’s gonna get impeached, just wait.”
Yovanovitch testified in November 2019 that Parnas’s claims about her were untrue, stating under oath, “I did not and would not say such a thing.”
In 2018, Parnas began working with Giuliani to find evidence of wrongdoing by Joe Biden in Ukraine. In 2019, Trump asked Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to investigate Biden and other Democrats in exchange for unfreezing US military aid.
In 2024, Parnas described himself as having been part of a “cult” around Trump, stating, “I was one of the leaders of that cult. I trained people in how to brainwash people in that cult.”
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Parnas stated he “woke up” after being “pulled into one of the biggest political scandals of modern American history.” On his campaign website, he says, “I’ve seen the swamp from the inside. They know me in Washington, and I’m the last person they seek with a seat in Congress and the power to call them before the people.”
Parnas is not the only figure involved in the impeachment proceedings running for office in Florida. Alex Vindman, a former National Security Council staffer, is running for a US Senate seat in the state.
Frequently Asked Questions
What role did Lev Parnas play in the first impeachment of Donald Trump?
Parnas was a key figure in the events leading to Trump’s first impeachment. He was involved in efforts to pressure Ukrainian officials to investigate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, and he asked Trump to remove the US ambassador to Ukraine.
What is Lev Parnas’s criminal history?
Parnas was convicted of campaign finance violations in 2021 as part of a scheme involving illegal contributions from a Russian oligarch to Republican politicians, including Donald Trump.
Is Lev Parnas running for office as a Democrat or Republican?
Parnas has announced he will run as a Democrat.
Given Parnas’s history and the current political climate, what impact might his candidacy have on the race for Florida’s 27th congressional district?
