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CEO of Ukrainian state gas firm willing to talk to investigators in Giuliani probe

Rudy Giuliani. Photo: Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

Andriy Kobolyev, the CEO of Ukraine's state-owned gas company, Naftogaz, says he is prepared to talk to investigators as part of a federal probe into Rudy Giuliani's finances, he told TIME Friday.

The big picture: Prosecutors in the Southern District of New York are looking into whether Giuliani stood to profit from a Ukrainian natural gas business backed by his foreign-born associates, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, who allegedly helped his push for investigations into former Vice President Joe Biden.

The sit-down "could shed light on recent allegations from U.S. and Ukrainian energy executives that Parnas and Fruman" tried to leverage their relationships with Giuliani and the Trump administration "to replace the leadership of Naftogaz, which had resisted their efforts to land a lucrative gas deal in Ukraine," TIME notes.

What he's saying: “I will with a high likelihood be invited to testify in this case ... If I am called, I would be willing to come and testify,” Kobolyev said.

  • Asked whether he would to provide information about Giuliani, Parnas or Fruman, the CEO added, “Both. Everything is connected.”

Go deeper ...

Go deeper

Axios
Updated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Health: Coronavirus deaths reach 4,000 per day as hospitals remain in crisis mode — CDC warns highly transmissible coronavirus variant could become dominant in U.S. in March.
  2. Politics: Biden says, "We will manage the hell out of" vaccine distribution — Biden taps ex-FDA chief to lead Operation Warp Speed amid rollout of COVID plan — Widow of GOP congressman-elect who died of COVID-19 will run to fill his seat.
  3. Vaccine: Battling Black mistrust of the vaccines — "Pharmacy deserts" could become vaccine deserts — Instacart to give $25 to shoppers who get vaccine.
  4. Economy: Unemployment filings explode again — Fed chair: No interest rate hike coming any time soon —  Inflation rose more than expected in December.
  5. World: WHO team arrives in China to investigate pandemic origins.
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Axios
3 hours ago - Politics & Policy

NRA declares bankruptcy, says it will reincorporate in Texas

Wayne LaPierre of the National Rifle Association (NRA) speaks during CPAC in 2016. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

The National Rifle Association said Friday it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and will seek to reincorporate in Texas, calling New York, where it is currently registered, a "toxic political environment."

The big picture: The move comes just months after New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit to dissolve the NRA, alleging the group committed fraud by diverting roughly $64 million in charitable donations over three years to support reckless spending by its executives.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Hans Nichols, author of Sneak Peek
4 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Biden: "We will manage the hell out of" vaccine distribution

Joe Biden. Photo: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

President-elect Joe Biden promised to invoke the Defense Production Act to increase vaccine manufacturing, as he outlined a five-point plan to administer 100 million COVID-19 vaccinations in the first months of his presidency.

Why it matters: With the Center for Disease Control and Prevention warning of a more contagious variant of the coronavirus, Biden is trying to establish how he’ll approach the pandemic differently than President Trump.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow