Political operatives and ethics lawyers say the paid speaking gig was unusual and troubling.
By Michael Birnbaum and Michael Birnbaum Brussels bureau chief covering Europe Email Bio Follow Ioana Burtea April 30 at 8:00 AM BRUSSELS — The day before special counsel Robert S. Mueller III submitted his report to the Justice Department last month, Washington was abuzz with what revelations it might contain about contacts between the 2016 Trump campaign and foreign officials.
In a statement, Parscale said the “handful of international speeches” he has delivered gave him a chance to see the world with his wife and recuperate from campaign responsibilities. Political operatives from both major parties have said yes to foreign speeches or consulting gigs, but typically after the campaign has ended.
Parscale’s engagements stand out because he is currently the full-time leader of a campaign, and because that campaign took extensive heat for its foreign contacts in the last election cycle. A top Republican campaign finance lawyer who reached out at the request of the Trump campaign said it was unfair to compare Parscale’s speaking engagement with the business relationships of 2016 campaign officials.
“Romania seems to be a very pro-Trump country and a pro-America country, and that’s why it’s a great honor to come visit,” Parscale said. Among others he has hosted in Romania are former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, retired Navy SEAL Robert O’Neill, who says he killed Osama bin Laden, and American physicist and Nobel laureate Kip Thorne.
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