Plea And A Trial Loom In Next Month For Giuliani Associates

On Thursday, U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken rejected a request by lawyers for Parnas and Kukushkin to postpone next month's trial until February.

The October illegal campaign contribution trial of an associate of Rudy Giuliani — and a guilty plea set to occur this week by a second associate — puts a spotlight on Giuliani as a criminal probe of the former mayor and his dealings with Ukraine move closer to a decision on whether he'll face arrest. A judge last week refused to delay the Oct. 12 trial of Lev Parnas and Andrey Kukushkin on charges that they made illegal campaign contributions to U.S. politicians. Both have pleaded not guilty. Meanwhile, a review of electronics materials seized in raids on Giuliani continues before prosecutors decide whether his dealings with Ukrainian officials while he worked as a personal lawyer for then-President Donald Trump required him to register as a foreign agent.