Maddow outlines how Giuliani and his arrested pals seem to be leading back to a corrupt Ukrainian oligarch
MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow.

MSNBC host Rachel Maddow detailed the way that President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and his two recently-arrested business associates are now linked to an oligarch in Ukraine.


In an NBC News report earlier Wednesday, it was revealed that Giuliani's associates, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, were doing work with oligarch Dmytro Firtash.

The report revealed that Firtash was involved in getting partners for an oil and gas company while also helping with the effort to dig up dirt on former Vice President Joe Biden.

Maddow said that according to U.S. prosecutors, Firtash is linked to Russian organized crime, and is currently fighting extradition to the U.S. on very serious corruption charges that are now stalled. She noted that it was interesting that Firtash was easily extradited to Austria to face corruption charges there, but somehow the United States can't make it work so he can be charged.

"Who knows if William Barr's Justice Department will ever figure out to get him here to face charges," Maddow said. "In the Southern District of New York, a counterintelligence investigation is reportedly underway into whether or not this was a foreign influence operation designed to influence or harm or leverage the U.S. government. That counterintelligence investigation appears to, in part, be about the president's personal lawyer who was sort of running point on this scheme."

She said that it appears the investigation touches some of the people also involved in the foreign influence on U.S. elections.

Kenneth McCallion, the attorney who represented the former Ukranian Prime Minister then told Maddow that it seems that Giuliani's associates wanted to get more Trump-friendly people on the boards of Ukranian oil and gas companies and were working with Republicans in Texas like former Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) to do it.

All of this adds up to the news that Giuliani is now also part of a counterintelligence investigation, along with criminal campaign finance charges.

Watch the intro from Maddow and her interview with McCallion below: