Aaron Parnas
Aaron Parnas | |
|---|---|
| Born | Aaron Gideon Parnas |
| Alma mater | Florida Atlantic University (BA) George Washington University Law School (JD) |
| Occupations |
|
| Political party | Democratic (2020-present) |
| Other political affiliations | Republican (until 2020) |
| Father | Lev Parnas |
Aaron Gideon Parnas is an American lawyer and democratic activist. Parnas is the son of Lev Parnas, known for his role in the Trump-administration Trump–Ukraine scandal. Parnas, who was once a staunch Republican and supporter of President Donald Trump, has since become an activist in support of the Democratic Party.
During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Parnas became a pro-Ukrainian TikToker. Parnas works as a securities litigation attorney at a law firm in Washington, D.C.
Early life
Aaron Parnas[1] is the son of Lev Parnas. Parnas' father was a close confidante of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and was convicted and charged for his role in the Trump-Ukraine scandal. Parnas is of Jewish-Ukrainian descent.[2][3] In 2017, at the age of 18, Parnas completed both a diploma from Florida Atlantic University High School and a B.A. in political science and criminal justice at Florida Atlantic University. Despite not being old enough to vote, he campaigned door-to-door for Marco Rubio and Donald Trump.[4][5]
He graduated from George Washington University Law School, with honors, in 2020 at the age of 21.[6] While in law school, Aaron won multiple awards for his oral advocacy skills including the Cohen & Cohen Mock Trial Award, and the Graduation Award for Excellence in Pre-Trial and Trial Advocacy.[7] In 2019, Parnas worked as a summer intern at Greenberg Traurig, the former law firm of Giuliani.[8] Prior to joining his current law firm, Aaron served as a law clerk at the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
Career
In 2020, Parnas published a memoir titled Trump First: How the President and His Associates Turned Their Backs on Me and My Family.[9] This followed Parnas' father being implicated in a variety of criminal activities, in 2019, including involvement in illegal campaign fundraising and working to pressure the Ukrainian government into opening investigations into potential opponents of Trump. Parnas voted for and campaigned for Joe Biden in 2020.[10][2][11] Parnas currently works at a Washington, D.C. based law firm.[6] He is also a Democratic digital strategist.[12] In early 2021, Parnas began serving as the press secretary for the Miami-Dade Democratic Party.
In a February 24, 2022 interview, Parnas began posting TikTok videos expressing shock about the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and published information about his relatives that were trying to evacuate Ukraine.[13] Parnas's TikToks saw success and he became notable as a pro-Ukrainian TikToker. He has since amassed more than 1 million followers on TikTok. He was one of several influencers to speak with President Joe Biden in an effort to combat disinformation about the Russo-Ukrainian crisis.[2][12]
References
- ^ "Lawyer Directory – The Florida Bar". Retrieved 2022-03-12.
- ^ a b c Cramer, Philissa (2022-03-11). "Aaron Parnas, whose dad Lev was at center of Trump-Ukraine scandal, is a pro-Ukraine influencer on TikTok". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
- ^ Lutz, Eric. "Giuliani Throws Parnas Under the Bus: "I Feel Sorry For Him"". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
- ^ Schiffman, Callie; Provencher, Liz (2017-08-31). "Two 18-year-olds skip four years, head straight to GW Law". The GW Hatchet. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
- ^ "A Mere Teen, This Young Man is Heading to Law School". Law.com. August 15, 2017. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
- ^ a b Sloan, Karen (2021-12-03). "Law school as a teen? These aspiring lawyers are on the fast track". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
- ^ "Aaron Parnas | GW Law Commencement". law.commencement.gwu.edu. Retrieved 2022-05-07.
- ^ "vetlana Parnas, Lev Parnas' Wife: 5 Fast Facts". Heavy. 11 October 2019. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
- ^ Bertr, Natasha (November 2020). "The son of Lev Parnas offers one more Trump tell-all". POLITICO. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
- ^ Zaretsky, Staci (2020-11-02). "Recent Law School Graduate, Who Happens To Be Son Of Lev Parnas, Writes Tell-All Book About Trump-Ukraine Scandal". Above the Law. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
- ^ Bertr, Natasha (November 2020). "The son of Lev Parnas offers one more Trump tell-all". POLITICO. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
- ^ a b Lisickis, Robertas; Pašukonytė, Monika (March 2022). "A TikTok Video Explaining Why Russia Is Currently Invading Ukraine Goes Viral With Over 400K Views". Bored Panda. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
- ^ DaRos, Danielle (2022-02-24). "South Floridian with Ukrainian roots reacts to Russian invasion". WPEC. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
