if only they d stayed under the radar. thanks to aggressive follow the money reporting by the daily beast and others, that scheme didn t stay below the radar. tonight multiple high-ranking republicans are scrambling to return the funds from these indicted accomplices of rudy giuliani. told you it was a great journalism story. joining us now is the hero of that story, daily beast reporter lachlan markay, congratulations on being right from the start here. thank you for being here. thank you, rachel. let mae ask you, that s a quick summary of detailed reporting. let me ask you if i said anything wrong there. that s all right. started off as an in the weeds campaign finance story, my pet issue, that s what i love covering. and, you know, we just kept turning up more and more public records involving these guys, they were involved in very shady legal dealings in florida and as more kept coming out the picture
individual working with parnas remarked, quote, this is what happens when you become visible. the buzzards descend. to which lev parnas responded, that s why question newe need under the radar. if only they d stayed under the radar. thanks to aggressive follow the money reporting by the daily beast and others, that scheme didn t stay below the radar. tonight multiple high-ranking republicans are scrambling to return the funds from these indicted accomplices of rudy giuliani. told you it was a great journalism story. joining us now is the hero of that story, daily beast reporter lachlan markay, congratulations on being right from the start here. thank you for being here. haunk ythank you, rachel. let mae ask you, that s a quick summary of detailed reporting. let me ask you if i said anything wrong there. that s all right. started off as an in the weeds campaign finance story, my pet issue, that s what i love covering. and, you know, we just kept turniturn i turning up more and
it s very easy to look at this as a campaign finance story, but actually it s a russia story. that s a story that s been going on since well before 2016. these are soviet-born nationals who have figured out a way to infiltrate the campaign funding system, they were able to actively lobby to lift sanctions, congressman number one that congress wants to speak to. congressman pete sessions, he was defeated but trying to get his seat back. in office he was actively working on behalf, now we know, of russian interests. this underscores that. it didn t end with the mueller report. it didn t end in 2016. it s been an ongoing relationship with russia, russian officials and an ongoing counterinvestigation against the president we do not know about.
administration was using to help the secret donors. you re going to see more of that. even the republicans in the senate, who did okay in this last election, know that they ve got to chart a little different path if they want to survive in 2020. you mentioned that campaign finance vote that has to do with an irs rule, dark money groups going back to a status quo before, before the irs can peer into that donor list. there s another campaign finance story in the news, the president s lawyer is going to go to prison for violating the l law. how significant is that? listen, mueller is starting to show his cards, and they re significant cards. the president was involved in at least two felonies. he s an unindicted co-conspirator. this goes beyond the set of facts that led to the impeachment of bill clinton. i think it s important for congress to see the underlying evidence at some point. i m more willing to trust
an irs rule, dark money groups going back to a status quo before, before the irs can peer into that donor list. there s another campaign finance story in the news, the got to chart a little different path if they want to survive in 2020. you mentioned that campaign finance vote that has to do with an irs rule, dark money groups going back to a status quo before, before the irs can peer into that donor list. there s another campaign finance story in the news, the president s lawyer is going to go to prison for violating the law. how significant is that? listen, mueller is starting to show his cards, and they re significant cards. the president was involved in at least two felonies. he s an unindicted co-conspirator. this goes beyond the set of facts that led to the impeachment of bill clinton. i think it s important for congress to see the underlying evidence at some point. i m more willing to trust mueller than my republican colleagues are. but even i want to see what he has, wheth