Thread by @cjcmichel

NEW: Trying to track all the relationships Victoria Toensing and Joe diGenova have with the sketchiest people involved in impeachment is enough to induce a migraine.

We tried to do it—and to see why they haven't registered any of their work with FARA: gen.medium.com/rudy-giuliani-…

To get a taste for how on-the-level Toensing and diGenova are, here's a sampling of some of their insane conspiracy theories, which see George Soros secretly behind anyone who apparently disagrees with them:

First, there's the legal work Toensing and diGenova are still doing for Dmytro Firtash, the Ukrainian oligarch at the heart of the efforts to dig for dirt on Biden (and which they haven't filed with FARA about):

Second, Toensing and diGenova work as the lawyer for none other than John Solomon, the self-proclaimed journalist whose work laundering sketchy claims is also at the heart of the impeachment saga—and who sent his work to Toensing and diGenova before publication:

And then there's everyone else we've learned about during impeachment connected directly to Toensing and diGenova.

Parnas? Yep!
Shokin? Yep!
Lutsenko? Yep!
Telizhenko? Yep!

More importantly: Toensing and diGenova haven't filed a single document with FARA for any of these Ukrainian connections/dealings.

They've claimed they're exempt from FARA... a claim that experts have raised an eyebrow at. gen.medium.com/rudy-giuliani-…

Toensing/diGenova get multiple mentions in today's Democratic impeachment report, including:

—Toensing signing "retainer agreements" with Lutsenko and Shokin
—Phone calls with Toensing and Parnas/Giuliani
—Toensing being "very active on social media" pushing conspiracy theories

Re-upping this piece from today in light of the House Democrats’ new impeachment report:

https://twitter.com/cjcmichel/status/1201872369842868238?s=21

https://twitter.com/cjcmichel/status/1201872369842868238

Weekly reminder that Trump is the first sitting U.S. president to ever pressure a foreign government to investigate a political rival.

One thing I still don't really get: Why are Giuliani, Toensing, and diGenova so weirdly skittish about registering with FARA? Why take the risk, especially in this post-2016/post-Manafort environment?

The Toensing/diGenova deal with Lutsenko, which wasn't finalized, noted they may have to register. Giuliani's deal in Uzbekistan fell apart (at least in part) because he would have had to register.

Weirdly skittish, time and again.

‘The report states that the retainer agreement were unexecuted but says that a spokesman for Toensing and diGenova’s firm confirmed to the committee “that the firm represented Mr. Lutsenko”‘ motherjones.com/politics/2019/…