WASHINGTON – Lev Parnas, the onetime Donald Trump supporter who says he helped press Ukrainian officials to announce an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden, arrived at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.

Parnas and his lawyer, Joseph Bondy, have passes to the impeachment trial of the president, but Parnas can't attend because a judge won't let him remove the ankle monitor he must wear as he awaits trial in a criminal campaign finance case. No electronic devices are allowed in the Senate gallery.

On Wednesday, Bondy went into Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office when they arrived. After a few minutes in the office, Bondy emerged, smiling, with two tickets to the trial. He said he would be watching the trial from the gallery, and Parnas would be watching from a “safe” place elsewhere.

Bondy declined to comment on current negotiations with the Southern District of New York but said their appearance could be “beneficial” for Parnas’ case because “people respect those who tell the truth.” Parnas told reporters it would not hurt his pending criminal case.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/01/29/trump-impeachment-updates-senators-question-prosecutors-lawyers/4601538002/

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