Politico: “A candidate Republicans hope will help them retake control of the U.S. Senate next fall, former Nevada AG Adam Laxalt, was in the unwelcome position Friday of testifying as a prosecution witness at a trial of two men accused of funneling more than $100,000 in Russian money into U.S. political campaigns. Laxalt spent two hours on the witness stand in federal court in Manhattan detailing the intense scramble for cash in the closing weeks of his race for Nevada governor in 2018. His appearance came on the third day of testimony at the trial of Lev Parnas, a Florida businessman charged with making illegal political donations through straw donors and on behalf of a Russian national. Laxalt was repeatedly pressed to describe his own efforts to scrounge for donations as attorneys recited texts and emails involving some of the key figures in the case.”

“Under questioning by a prosecutor, Laxalt described how he was introduced to Parnas, saying he first met Parnas at the Trump International Hotel in Washington in 2018 over cigars and drinks in the company of one of then-President Donald Trump’s lawyers, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani. Laxalt said Parnas eventually pledged $10,000 and said he’d raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the campaign, but the money was slow to arrive, so Laxalt called again and again. ‘I’m basically repeatedly reaching out to everyone who pledged to donate,’ Laxalt said, adding that he was ‘really bombarding’ Parnas. Parnas eventually arranged two $5,000 donations through a colleague who earlier pleaded guilty in the case, Igor Fruman. Laxalt’s campaign later became suspicious of the donation and gave up the money. ‘We sought the advice of counsel and we returned the check for the $10,000 to the United States Treasury,’ Laxalt told jurors.”