Two Jewish businessmen who reportedly assisted Rudy Giuliani in his attempts to uncover wrongdoing by former vice president Joe Biden have been arrested on separate charges of violating campaign finance rules.
Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, two Ukrainian-American businessmen now based in Florida, are understood to be close friends and clients of Mr Giuliani, who currently serves as Donald Trump’s private lawyer.
The two men, who are business partners, are also strong supporters of Mr Trump, having donated hundreds of thousands of dollars both to the Republican party and to a pro-Trump campaign group.
They were arrested on Wednesday and were expected to appear in federal court in Virginia on Thursday. The charges are unconnected to their alleged activity concerning Mr Biden.