Transcript of My Father Went to Prison Working for Trump. This is My Story.

My father was indicted, prosecuted, sentenced to 20 months in federal prison, and worked closely with Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani to find dirt on Hunter and Joe Biden in Ukraine to help Donald Trump win re-election in 2020. Yes, my dad is Lev Parnas, and I have never hidden that fact. But I wanted to come to you and open up about the hardest day of my life, October 10th, 2019. It's the day he was arrested. See, at the time, I was a third-year law student. People know about my backstory. I actually graduated college when I was 18, started when I was 14, went straight to law school at the George Washington University Law School in DC, graduating when I turned 21. But when my father was arrested, I was 20 years old. It was October of 2019. I was in my third year of law school, and I was preparing to go to a law firm to practice law because that was my dream. My father had his connections with Rudy Giuliani, with Donald Trump. They were working. I had nothing to do with it. I had no knowledge of what was happening. In fact, the only time I would actually see my dad was in the Trump Hotel lobby when he would come to Washington, DC, to visit me, but rather to visit Rudy Giuliani and see me because I was going to school in DC.

Little did I know that at the same time, Donald Trump's own Department of Justice was actively investigating my father and a few of his business associates for campaign finance-related violations, along with other criminal charges. And on October 10th, my dad was indicted, and he was arrested. He was actually flying to Europe to help Rudy Giuliani find more dirt on Hunter Biden, and he was arrested on the jet bridge. I'll never forget that moment, because in that moment, I was no longer Aaron Parnis, the law student or the aspiring lawyer. I instantly became Lev Parnis' son. The media defined me as someone who I wasn't, as the son of my father, even though I had no connection to any of that. The legal field shun me. I even lost my job over it. All because something I had no control over happened to me because my father was arrested. Now, that night, I remember it like it was yesterday. I, at the time, lived at the Columbia Plaza Apartments in Washington, DC, in Foggy Bottom. And I was on a run, as I typically do. I love running. I was running on the National Mall, and it was nighttime.

It was, I believe, around 7: 30 PM. And I got a call from my father's then-assistant who told me... She called me once, and I didn't answer. Then she called me a second time. And usually when that happens, something's important. So I picked up and she said, Erin, your dad's been indicted. Your dad's been taken. Your dad's been arrested. Go to the Trump Hotel. Rudy Giuliani is waiting for you. Don't go home. Go straight to the Trump Hotel. Now, I didn't listen to her. I went home. I went home. I changed because I was sweating in running clothing. But then I got in an Uber and I went straight to the Trump Hotel. Over the next 72 hours, I spent those 72 hours with Rudy Giuliani in his hotel room, game planning and strategizing as I slowly listened to Rudy Giuliani and those around him drift away from my father. At first it was, Oh, my God, I can't believe he was arrested. And then it turned into, Oh, wait. Should we actually support him? Should we actually still stand by him? Got to the point where Donald Trump claimed he didn't know who my father even was.

And yes, then my father went on to be a critical part of the first Trump impeachment regarding the, quote, unquote, perfect phone call with President Zelenskyy in Ukraine. And in that entire I was still a law student, but I was also his son. I had six siblings. At the time, I had five siblings who relied on me as an older brother. I had a mother. I had my legal studies. I had a career, but none of that mattered anymore because I was instantly painted as someone that I wasn't. And that's why I wanted to talk to you tonight, because this is something that happens to far too many people across our nation. We are judged by the actions of others. I had nothing to do with my father's indictment, had nothing to do with his work with Trump or Giuliani. I was not even an adult during most of the time. And yet, despite all of that, I was labeled as someone and something that I'm not. And yes, my situation was very high profile. But if you're watching this and you see this, and you can empathize or empathize a little bit in the fact that you, too, have been judged by a family member, just by being associated with a family member, understand that you're not alone.

Understand that this happens. It happens often. And people are judged by the actions of others every single day. And yeah, it's been six years, a little over six years since my father was arrested. He was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison. He was convicted by a jury of his peers. He served time, did his time. He then apologized to Hunter Biden on television. I tell everyone I love my father, but I'm not my father. And in those six years, I have spent countless hours trying to define myself as who I am. Today, I'm 26 years old. I graduated college when I was 18 years old. Graduated law school when I was 21 years old. I practiced law for five years at big and small firms. I clerked for a federal judge, a very prestigious clerk that I only got because I did well in law school. I represented individuals and companies inside the courtroom and behind the desk for five years. I saw more cases than many. I appeared in a courtroom, appeared in front of a judge, made a oral argument, and I studied. I studied a lot. And then I pivoted to journalism because I felt as though that my family in Ukraine weren't getting justice.

From American media when the war in Ukraine began in 2022. And so I did what any other 22-year-old, a spy or fledgling lawyer at the time would do, pulled out my phone and started to TikTok. Before I knew it, I had a million followers. In interested in Ukraine. And over the next several years, I've worked my ass off to build one of the most successful independent media operations in the country, beating CNN, Fox News, or beating CNN, MSNBC, rivaling Fox News every single day. I'm so proud of that. I am so, so proud of that. Because tonight, for the first time in a long time, I can confidently come up here and say, I'm not just my dad's son. I love my dad, but I'm not just his son. I'm my own person. I'm Erin Parnis. And to that 20-year-old law student who was on a run, just know that you'll make it. And if you're watching this, know But you will, too, because sometimes the worst tragedies in life, sometimes the hardest moments that you have to live through, there's a reason for it. I make this video so that if you're out there and you're watching this and you've ever felt that you are going to be judged by someone else's actions.

Know that you're going to get through this. Know that no one should judge you for someone who you aren't. And know that we're in this together. So thanks so much. Like, comment, share, and subscribe, and I'll see you soon. Hey, folks.

Erin Parnas here. Thank you so much for watching the Parnas Perspective. Please consider subscribing to support our work as we grow this independent news media entity into something that rivals mainstream every single day. Thanks so much, and I'll see you soon.