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Call records included in an impeachment report released by House Democrats Tuesday show that House Intelligence Ranking Member Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) had a number of contacts in April with Rudy Giuliani and Lev Parnas, an associate of Giuliani's who has since been indicted for campaign finance violations.
Why it matters: The call records constitute some of the only new revelations from the report, which mostly relies on witness testimony that has been released to the public.
The big picture: The April contacts came in the midst of a smear campaign against former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, which was led by Giuliani, Parnas and John Solomon, a Trump-friendly journalist who formerly wrote for The Hill.
- The Daily Beast has reported that Parnas, who helped introduce Giuliani to Ukrainian officials in his quest to dig up dirt on Trump's rivals, also helped arrange meetings for Nunes in 2018, when the top Republican was investigating the origins of the Mueller investigation.
- Nunes has dismissed the entire impeachment inquiry as a hoax and part of a continued effort by Democrats to take down President Trump. He is likely to face new scrutiny about his involvement with key players at the center of the inquiry.
Go deeper: More highlights from the Democrats' impeachment report