:en:Victoria Toensing

{{Short description|American lawyer}}

{{Redirect|Toensing|other people and similar names|Toensing (surname)}}

{{use mdy dates|date=March 2018}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Victoria Toensing

| image = Victoria Toensing 2002 (cropped).jpg

| caption = Toensing in 2002

| birth_name = Victoria Ann Long

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1941|10|16}}{{cite news |first=Darren |last=Samuelsohn |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/25/trump-legal-team-russia-484544 |title=Trump's legal team in flux as he reverses hiring decision |work=Politico |date=March 25, 2018}}

| birth_place = Colón, Panama

| death_date =

| death_place =

| education = Indiana University, Bloomington (BS)
University of Detroit (JD)

| party = Republican

| spouse = {{marriage|Trent Toensing|Oct. 29, 1962|1976|end=divorced}}{{cite news |title=Long Toensing Wedding |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/138727249/ |access-date=March 25, 2018 |work=The Republic |date=October 22, 1962 |via=Newspapers.com}}
{{marriage|Joseph diGenova|1981}}{{cite news |title=Love is cause for a rally |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/98879818/ |access-date=March 25, 2018 |newspaper=Detroit Free Press |date=March 26, 1981 |page=17 |via=Newspapers.com}}

| children = 3, including Amy Toensing

}}

Victoria Ann Toensing (née Long; born October 16, 1941) is an American attorney, Republican Party operative{{Cite web|last=Milton|first=Pat|date=April 28, 2021|title=Federal agents execute search warrant at Rudy Giuliani's home as part of Ukraine probe|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rudy-giuliani-fbi-search-warrant-ukraine-probe/|access-date=April 28, 2021|website=CBS News}}{{Cite web|last=O'Connell|first=Oliver|date=April 28, 2021|title=FBI searches home of Giuliani-connected lawyer in relation to Ukraine dealings, report says|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/rudy-giuliani-fbi-search-lawyer-b1839213.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220817/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/rudy-giuliani-fbi-search-lawyer-b1839213.html |archive-date=August 17, 2022 |url-access=subscription|url-status=live|access-date=April 28, 2021|website=The Independent}}{{Cite web|last=Beitsch|first=Rebecca|date=April 28, 2021|title=Federal investigators search Giuliani apartment|url=https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/550706-federal-investigators-search-giuliani-apartment-report/|access-date=April 28, 2021|website=The Hill}} and with her husband, Joseph diGenova, a partner in the Washington law firm diGenova & Toensing.{{Cite news |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/03/ukraine-scandal-digenova-toensing-022049 |title=Ukraine scandal ropes in Clinton-era GOP operatives |last=Schreckinger |first=Ben |work=Politico|language=en |access-date=October 11, 2019 |date=October 3, 2019}}{{cite web|title=Victoria Toensing|url=http://www.digenovatoensing.com/attorneybiosvt.htm|publisher=DiGenova & Toensing, LLP Washington, DC|access-date=July 23, 2017|archive-date=November 22, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071122021927/http://www.digenovatoensing.com/attorneybiosvt.htm|url-status=dead}} Toensing and diGenova frequently appeared on Fox News and Fox Business channels, until diGenova used a November 2019 appearance to spread conspiracy theories about George Soros, leading to widespread calls for him to be banned from the network.{{Cite web |title=Joe diGenova and Victoria Toensing have made over 90 appearances on Fox in 2019 |url=https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/joe-digenova-and-victoria-toensing-have-made-over-90-appearances-fox-2019 |access-date=October 11, 2019 |website=Media Matters for America |language=en |first=Lis |last=Power |date=September 30, 2019}} In 2019, Toensing and diGenova began representing Ukrainian oligarch Dmitry Firtash in his efforts to block extradition to the United States under a federal indictment and became embroiled in the Trump–Ukraine scandal. The couple has worked with Rudy Giuliani in support of President Donald Trump beginning in 2018, and was named to join a legal team led by Giuliani to overturn the results of the 2020 United States presidential election in which Trump was defeated.{{Cite news |last=Wemple |first=Erik |title=Fox News claims scoop that was buried in a New York Times story months ago |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/09/30/fox-news-claims-scoop-that-was-buried-new-york-times-story-months-ago/ |access-date=October 11, 2019 |newspaper=The Washington Post |language=en |date=September 30, 2019}}{{cite news |last1=Stracqualursi |first1=Veronica |date=November 16, 2020 |title=Trump puts Giuliani in charge of post-election legal fight after series of losses |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/14/politics/rudy-giuliani-trump-lawsuits-2020-election/index.html}}

Early life and education

{{BLP sources|date=February 2018}}

Toensing graduated from Indiana University in 1962 with a degree in education. Toensing was active with the Republican Party in Michigan. She taught high-school English until she entered law school, earning a J.D. from the University of Detroit School of Law in 1975.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/04/21/magazine/capture-of-a-terrorist.html|title=Capture of a Terrorist|last=Emerson|first=Steven|date=1991-04-21|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-11-17|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.rollcall.com/2019/11/12/the-vicki-joe-show-d-c-power-couple-hit-airwaves-as-impeachment-inquiry-moves-forward/ |title=The Vicki & Joe Show: D.C. power couple hit airwaves as impeachment inquiry moves forward |last1=Marcus |first1=Ilana |date=November 12, 2019 |access-date=November 17, 2019 |last2=Eaton |first2=Joshua |language=en |last3=Marcus |first3=Ilana |last4=Eaton |first4=Joshua |work=Roll Call}}

She joined the U.S. attorney's office in Detroit, where she prosecuted narcotics cases.

In 1981, Toensing became chief counsel to Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence,{{cite news |author-link=Emily Bazelon |last=Bazelon |first=Emily |date=November 26, 2007 |url=http://www.slate.com/id/2177688/pagenum/all/ |title=On the Advice of Counsel |work=Slate}} where she helped draft the Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982.

News and politics

= Reagan administration =

Toensing was a deputy assistant attorney general in the Justice Department during the Reagan administration. She led a counterterrorist investigation into the 15 May Organization for the bombing and attempted bombing of two Pan Am jets in 1982.

= Clinton investigations =

DiGenova and Toensing established their law firm, diGenova & Toensing, in January 1996.

Emily Bazelon of Slate has called Toensing "a blanketer of the airwaves about the tawdriness of the Lewinsky affair." Toensing and her husband made regular appearances on television claiming that they were the target of investigations by the Clinton administration.

Commenting on their role in the 1998 House of Representatives Teamsters investigation, Rep. Bill Clay, a Missouri Democrat, said, "They've become a public spectacle, which means they can't be impartial... It's a payoff from Newt Gingrich and the Republican Party to both Victoria Toensing and Joe diGenova.... They have been on television over 200 times and not once have they been talking about an issue we're paying them $25,000 a month to handle for the Congress. It's a hell of a part-time job."{{cite news |first=Howard |last=Kurtz |authorlink=Howard Kurtz|date=February 27, 1998 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/couple022798.htm |title=The Power Couple at Scandal's Vortex |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=February 21, 2018}}

= The WISH List =

Toensing was a founder and board member of The WISH List, a PAC seeking to elect pro-choice Republican women to public office.{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/pro-choice-republicans-have-a-place-in-the-party/2012/11/29/4ab72106-332e-11e2-bfd5-e202b6d7b501_story.html |title=Pro-choice Republicans have a place in the party |last=Toensing |first=Victoria |date=November 29, 2012 |newspaper=The Washington Post}} The PAC was inspired by EMILY's List, a pro-choice Democratic PAC, and Toensing advocated for a "big tent" Republican Party that includes both pro-life and pro-choice members.{{Cite news |first1=Ronald J. |last1=Ostrow |first2=Dave |last2=Lesher |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-03-05-mn-4872-story.html|title=Abortion Rights Group in GOP May Oppose Dornan : Politics: Former O.C. Superior Court Judge Judith M. Ryan is planning to challenge the 7-term congressman.|date=March 5, 1992|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|access-date=January 1, 2020}}

= Valerie Plame investigation =

Toensing was a frequent Republican commentator in the media during the Plame affair, a political scandal that led to the conviction of Scooter Libby, assistant to Vice President Dick Cheney.{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4749683|title=Karl Rove, the Law and the Plame Investigation|website=NPR|date=July 12, 2005|language=en|access-date=October 17, 2019}} The scandal involved the public outing of Valerie Plame as a CIA agent, shortly after Plame's husband, former diplomat Joseph C. Wilson, wrote an op-ed in 2003 alleging that the Bush administration manipulated intelligence in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/06/opinion/what-i-didn-t-find-in-africa.html|title=Opinion {{!}} What I Didn't Find in Africa|last=Wilson|first=Joseph C. IV|authorlink=Joseph Wilson IV|date=July 6, 2003|work=The New York Times|access-date=October 9, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/envoy-says-leak-endangers-cia-wife/ |title=Envoy Says Leak Endangers CIA Wife |work=CBS News |language=en-US |access-date=2019-10-09 |date=October 7, 2003}} In March 2005, Toensing submitted an amicus curiae brief in support of Matt Cooper and Judith Miller, two journalists who were subpoenaed in the Plame investigation for refusing to reveal information obtained from confidential sources. In the brief, she "argued that the law couldn't have been broken when Valerie Plame's cover as a CIA agent was blown because her status wasn't really covert." She also contended that Plame did not have a cover to be blown, citing a July 23, 2004, article in The Washington Times that argued that her status as an undercover CIA agent may have been known to Russian and Cuban intelligence operations prior to the article (by Robert Novak) that revealed her status as a CIA employee.

In April 2018, Toensing represented Scooter Libby at the time when President Donald Trump pardoned him.{{Cite news|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/383044-trump-issues-pardon-for-scooter-libby/|title=Trump pardons Scooter Libby, saying he was 'treated unfairly'|last=Swanson|first=Ian|date=April 13, 2018|work=The Hill|access-date=April 13, 2018|language=en}} Libby, the assistant to Vice President Dick Cheney, had been convicted of obstruction of justice and perjury in 2007 regarding the leak of Plame's identity.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/06/washington/06cnd-libby.html|title=Libby Guilty of Lying in C.I.A. Leak Case|last=Lewis|first=Neil A.|date=March 6, 2007|work=The New York Times|access-date=October 9, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}

= 2008 election =

Toensing supported former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson in the Republican primaries for the 2008 presidential election.

= Involvement with Trump, his associates and Ukraine =

On March 19, 2018, Toensing and her husband, diGenova, were hired by President Donald Trump to serve on his legal team for the Special Counsel investigation.{{cite web |url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/victoria-toensing-joins-husband-joseph-digenova-on-trumps-legal-team-in-russia-probe |title=Victoria Toensing joins husband Joseph diGenova on Trump's legal team in Russia probe |first=Brooke |last=Singman |website=Fox News |date=March 23, 2018 |access-date=2018-03-24}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.wral.com/trump-may-reshuffle-legal-team-to-take-on-mueller-more-aggressively/17428522/|title=Trump May Reshuffle Legal Team to Take On Mueller More Aggressively |last1=Haberman|first1=Maggie|authorlink1=Maggie Haberman|date=March 19, 2018|website=WRAL-TV|access-date=March 25, 2018|last2=Schmidt|first2=Michael S.|language=en}} DiGenova served as the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia from 1983 to 1988.{{cite news |last=LaFraniere|first=Sharon |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1988/02/29/digenovas-legacy/8f02d31e-df56-4b9f-aac1-416f1f947077/ |title=Digenova's Legacy |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=February 29, 1988 |access-date=March 22, 2018}}{{cite web|last1=Haberman|first1=Maggie|authorlink1=Maggie Haberman|last2=Schmidt|first2=Michael S. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/19/us/politics/joseph-digenova-trump-lawyer.html |title=Trump Hires Lawyer Who Has Pushed Theory That Justice Dept. Framed the President |newspaper=The New York Times |date=March 19, 2018 |access-date=March 22, 2018}} However, Trump cancelled the hires several days later due to potential conflicts of interest, though Trump personal attorney Jay Sekulow said they might assist in other legal matters.{{cite news |first1=Josh |last1=Dawsey |first2=Carol D. |last2=Leonnig |first3=John |last3=Wagner |date=March 25, 2018 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/in-another-blow-to-trumps-efforts-to-combat-russia-probe-digenova-will-no-longer-join-legal-team/2018/03/25/8ac8c8d2-3038-11e8-94fa-32d48460b955_story.html |title=In another blow to Trump's efforts to combat Russia probe, diGenova will no longer join legal team |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=March 25, 2018}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/25/us/politics/trump-digenova-toensing.html |title=Trump Won't Hire 2 Lawyers Whose Appointments Were Announced Days Ago |first1=Maggie |last1=Haberman |authorlink1=Maggie Haberman|first2=Michael S. |last2=Schmidt |first3=Mark |last3=Landler |date=March 25, 2018 |newspaper=The New York Times}}

Toensing represents Mark Corallo, who had previously served as a spokesman for Trump's private legal team during the investigation into possible collusion between members of Trump's 2016 campaign and the Russian government.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/25/us/politics/trump-digenova-toensing.html|title=Trump Won't Hire 2 Lawyer Whose Appointments Were Announced Days Ago|last1=Haberman|first1=Maggie|authorlink1=Maggie Haberman|last2=Landler|first2=Mark|last3=Schmidt|first3=Michael S.|newspaper=The New York Times|date=March 25, 2018|access-date=March 27, 2018}}{{cite news|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/343058-trump-legal-team-spokesman-resigns-report/|title=Trump legal team spokesman resigns: report|last=Seipel|first=Brooke|newspaper=The Hill|date=July 20, 2017|access-date=July 21, 2017}} Robert Mueller interviewed Corallo as part of the Special Counsel investigation.{{cite news |quote=Special counsel Robert Mueller is seeking an interview with Mark Corallo, the former spokesman for President Donald Trump's legal team, according to a person with knowledge of the matter, in what would be the first contact between the Special Counsel and a onetime member of the president's personal legal team. |first=Rebecca |last=Balhaus |date=January 30, 2018 |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/mueller-seeks-interview-with-ex-spokesman-for-trumps-legal-team-1517363052 |title=Mueller Seeks Interview With Ex-Spokesman for Trump's Legal Team}}{{cite news |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/mueller-has-interviewed-trump-legal-teams-former-spokesman |title=Mueller Has Interviewed Trump Legal Team's Former Spokesman |work=The Daily Beast |first=Betsy |last=Woodruff |date=February 16, 2018 |access-date=March 27, 2018}}

Toensing has also represented Sam Clovis, a former Trump campaign co-chair, and Erik Prince, the founder of the private military company Blackwater, who has informally advised Trump.

In spring 2019, Toensing began representing former Ukrainian prosecutor general Viktor Shokin and then-prosecutor general Yuriy Lutsenko. Giuliani and his associates met with Lutsenko in early 2019 to discuss possible investigations of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Then-United States ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch had openly criticized Lutsenko for his poor anti-corruption record, and Lutsenko spread false allegations about Yovanovitch, which he later recanted. Giuliani considered Yovanovitch an obstacle to investigations of the Bidens and persuaded Trump to remove her from office in spring 2019. By April 2021, a continuing federal investigation was examining Yovanovitch's removal and evidence relating to Toensing.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/rudy-giulianis-contacts-with-former-ukrainian-officials-sought-11619823795|title=WSJ News Exclusive | Rudy Giuliani's Contacts With Former Ukrainian Officials Sought|first1=Rebecca|last1=Ballhaus|first2=Rebecca Davis|last2=O’Brien|date=April 30, 2021|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/29/nyregion/giuliani-yovanovitch-search-warrant-ukraine.html|title=Firing of U.S. Ambassador Is at Center of Giuliani Investigation|first1=Ben|last1=Protess|first2=William K.|last2=Rashbaum|first3=Kenneth P.|last3=Vogel|date=April 29, 2021|newspaper=The New York Times}}

In July 2019, Toensing and her husband were hired by the Ukrainian oligarch Dmitry Firtash to defend him from extradition to the United States on a bribery indictment.{{Cite news|first=Bermet|last=Talant|url=https://www.kyivpost.com/ukraine-politics/ex-prosecutor-general-shokin-defends-oligarch-firtash.html|title=Ex-Prosecutor General Shokin defends oligarch Firtash|date=September 27, 2019|newspaper=Kyiv Post|access-date=September 30, 2019|archive-date=November 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111192210/https://www.kyivpost.com/ukraine-politics/ex-prosecutor-general-shokin-defends-oligarch-firtash.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite web |first1=Greg |last1=Farrell |first2=Irina |last2=Reznik |first3=Boris |last3=Groendahl |date=September 23, 2019 |title=Trump-Friendly Lawyers Join Legal Team of Ukraine's Firtash |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-23/trump-friendly-lawyers-join-legal-team-of-ukraine-s-firtash |access-date=September 30, 2019 |work=Bloomberg News |archive-date=September 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200914195937/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-23/trump-friendly-lawyers-join-legal-team-of-ukraine-s-firtash |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last1=Champlin |first1=Reid |url=https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2019/07/ukraine-oligarch-and-michael-cohen-attorney-lanny-davis-cut-ties-as-extradition-looms/ |title=Ukrainian oligarch and Michael Cohen attorney Lanny Davis cut ties as extradition looms |access-date=September 30, 2019 |work=OpenSecrets |publisher=OpenSecrets |date=July 31, 2019 |language=en |archive-date=February 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200219204738/https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2019/07/ukraine-oligarch-and-michael-cohen-attorney-lanny-davis-cut-ties-as-extradition-looms/ |url-status=live}} He has been living in Austria since being arrested there at the request of American authorities in 2014 and released on $155 million bail.{{Cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/russia-capitalism-gas-special-report-pix-idUSL3N0TF4QD20141126 |title=SPECIAL REPORT-Putin's allies channelled billions to Ukraine oligarch |first1=Stephen |last1=Grey |first2=Tom |last2=Bergin |first3=Sevgil |last3=Musaieva |first4=Roman |last4=Anin |date=November 26, 2014 |work=Reuters}} In 2017, the United States Justice Department described Firtash as an "upper-echelon [associate] of Russian organized crime."{{Cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/doj-ex-manafort-associate-firtash-top-tier-comrade-russian-mobsters-n786806 |title=DOJ: Ex-Manafort associate is top-tier comrade of Russian mobsters |work=NBC News |date=July 26, 2017 |first=Tom |last=Winter |access-date=December 1, 2020 |archive-date=November 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125080703/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/doj-ex-manafort-associate-firtash-top-tier-comrade-russian-mobsters-n786806 |url-status=live}} As a middleman for the Russian natural gas giant Gazprom, Firtash was known for funneling money to campaigns of pro-Russia politicians in Ukraine{{Cite news |url=http://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/comrade-capitalism-the-kiev-connection/ |title=Comrade Capitalism: The Kiev Connection |work=Reuters |language=en |access-date=2019-10-01 |date=November 26, 2014 |first1=Stephen |last1=Grey |first2=Tom |last2=Bergin |first3=Sevgil |last3=Musaieva |first4=Roman |last4=Anin |archive-date=September 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190907142915/https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/comrade-capitalism-the-kiev-connection/ |url-status=live}} and is also a onetime business partner of Paul Manafort, a Trump 2016 campaign chairman.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/01/us/paul-manafort-ukraine-donald-trump.html|title=How Paul Manafort Wielded Power in Ukraine Before Advising Donald Trump|last1=Myers|first1=Steven Lee|date=July 31, 2016|work=The New York Times|access-date=October 1, 2019|last2=Kramer|first2=Andrew E.|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=November 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191103150229/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/01/us/paul-manafort-ukraine-donald-trump.html|url-status=live}} Firtash obtained his middleman position with the agreement of Russian president Vladimir Putin and, according to Firtash, Russian organized crime boss Semion Mogilevich.{{Cite magazine|first=Simon|last=Shuster|url=https://time.com/5699201/exclusive-how-a-ukrainian-oligarch-wanted-by-u-s-authorities-helped-giuliani-attack-biden/|title=Exclusive: How a Ukrainian Oligarch Wanted by U.S. Authorities Helped Giuliani Attack Biden|magazine=Time|date=October 15, 2019}} When he was vice president, Biden had urged the Ukrainian government to eliminate middlemen such as Firtash from the country's natural gas industry, and to reduce the country's reliance on imports of Russian natural gas.{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/25/us/giuliani-ukraine-oligarchs.html |title=Why Giuliani Singled Out 2 Ukrainian Oligarchs to Help Look for Dirt |first1=Jo |last1=Becker |first2=Walt |last2=Bogdanich |first3=Maggie |last3=Haberman |authorlink3=Maggie Haberman|first4=Ben |last4=Protess |date=November 25, 2019 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=November 26, 2019 |archive-date=November 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191126035334/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/25/us/giuliani-ukraine-oligarchs.html |url-status=live}}

After Firtash hired diGenova and Toensing, Giuliani acquired a statement{{cite web |title=Witness Statement of Viktor Mikolajovich Shokin |url=https://cdn.factcheck.org/UploadedFiles/427618359-Shokin-Statement-1.pdf |website=FactCheck.org |publisher=Annenberg Public Policy Center |access-date=June 25, 2023 |date=September 4, 2019}} from former Ukrainian prosecutor general Viktor Shokin that falsely alleged Biden had pressured Ukraine to fire him in an effort to cover up corruption committed by himself and his son. Shokin's statement noted that it was prepared "at the request of lawyers acting for Dmitry Firtash ('DF'), for use in legal proceedings in Austria."{{Cite magazine |first=Simon |last=Shuster |date=October 15, 2019 |url=https://time.com/5699201/exclusive-how-a-ukrainian-oligarch-wanted-by-u-s-authorities-helped-giuliani-attack-biden/ |title=Exclusive: How a Ukrainian Oligarch Wanted by U.S. Authorities Helped Giuliani Attack Biden |magazine=Time |access-date=December 1, 2020 |archive-date=November 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127174152/https://time.com/5699201/exclusive-how-a-ukrainian-oligarch-wanted-by-u-s-authorities-helped-giuliani-attack-biden/ |url-status=live}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry/ukrainian-oligarch-firtash-linked-giuliani-pals-gas-deals-biden-dirt-n1067516 |title=Oligarch Firtash linked to Giuliani pals' gas deals and Biden research |work=NBC News |date=October 16, 2019 |first1=Ken |last1=Dilanian |first2=Dan |last2=De Luce |first3=Tom |last3=Winter |access-date=December 1, 2020 |archive-date=November 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124124736/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry/ukrainian-oligarch-firtash-linked-giuliani-pals-gas-deals-biden-dirt-n1067516 |url-status=live}} Giuliani had presented the Shokin statement during television appearances, and Bloomberg News reported that its sources told them Giuliani's publicity of the Shokin statement had greatly reduced the chances of the Justice Department dropping the charges against Firtash, as it would appear to be a political quid pro quo.{{cite news |last1=Baker |first1=Stephanie |last2=Reznik |first2=Irina |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-18/to-win-giuliani-s-help-oligarch-s-allies-pursued-biden-dirt |title=To Win Giuliani's Help, Oligarch's Allies Pursued Biden Dirt |date=October 18, 2019 |work=Bloomberg News |language=en |access-date=December 1, 2020 |archive-date=October 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191019011813/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-18/to-win-giuliani-s-help-oligarch-s-allies-pursued-biden-dirt |url-status=live}}

In August 2019, Toensing and diGenova met with Attorney General William Barr to argue against the charges on Firtash. Prior to that meeting, Barr had been briefed in detail on the initial Trump-Ukraine scandal whistleblower complaint within the CIA that had been forwarded to the Justice Department, as well as on Giuliani's activities in Ukraine. Barr declined to intercede in the case, according to sources who talked to The Washington Post.{{cite news |last1=Zapotosky |first1=Matt |last2=Helderman |first2=Rosalind S. |last3=Hamburger |first3=Tom |last4=Dawsey |first4=Josh |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/prosecutors-flagged-possible-ties-between-ukrainian-gas-tycoon-and-giuliani-associates/2019/10/22/4ee22e7c-f020-11e9-b648-76bcf86eb67e_story.html |title=Prosecutors flagged possible ties between Ukrainian gas tycoon and Giuliani associates |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=November 26, 2019 |date=October 2, 2019 |language=en |archive-date=November 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191103110448/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/prosecutors-flagged-possible-ties-between-ukrainian-gas-tycoon-and-giuliani-associates/2019/10/22/4ee22e7c-f020-11e9-b648-76bcf86eb67e_story.html |url-status=live}}

In October 2019, Lev Parnas, a businessman who was working for diGenova and Toensing's firm as an interpreter in the Firtash case, was one of two men arrested at Dulles International Airport and accused by federal prosecutors of funneling foreign money into U.S. elections.{{cite news |last1=Viswanatha |first1=Aruna |last2=Ballhaus |first2=Rebecca |last3=Gurman |first3=Sadie |last4=Tau |first4=Byron |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/two-foreign-born-men-who-helped-giuliani-on-ukraine-arrested-on-campaign-finance-charges-11570714188 |title=Two Giuliani Associates Who Helped Him on Ukraine Charged With Campaign-Finance Violations |access-date=October 13, 2019 |work=Wall Street Journal |date=October 11, 2019 |language=en-US |archive-date=October 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191013033251/https://www.wsj.com/articles/two-foreign-born-men-who-helped-giuliani-on-ukraine-arrested-on-campaign-finance-charges-11570714188 |url-status=live}} The New York Times reported in November 2019 that Giuliani had directed Parnas to approach Firtash with the recommendation to hire diGenova and Toensing, with the proposition that Firtash could help to provide compromising information on Biden, an arrangement Parnas' attorney Joseph Bondy described was "part of any potential resolution to [Firtash's] extradition matter." In November 2019, Bondy told The Washington Post that Parnas had been part of a group that met frequently in spring 2019 at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., to discuss the Biden matter, among other topics. The group, according to Bondy, was convened by Giuliani, Trump's personal attorney, and included Parnas, his business associate Igor Fruman, as well as journalist John Solomon and Toensing and diGenova.{{Cite news |first1=Andrew |last1=Prokop |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/top-house-democrat-says-ethics-probe-of-nunes-is-likely-over-alleged-meeting-with-ukrainian-about-bidens/2019/11/23/0dde6b22-0e0a-11ea-97ac-a7ccc8dd1ebc_story.html|title=Top House Democrat says ethics probe of Nunes is likely over alleged meeting with Ukrainian about Bidens |date=November 23, 2019 |access-date=2019-11-24 |language=en |newspaper=The Washington Post |archive-date=November 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191124203445/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/top-house-democrat-says-ethics-probe-of-nunes-is-likely-over-alleged-meeting-with-ukrainian-about-bidens/2019/11/23/0dde6b22-0e0a-11ea-97ac-a7ccc8dd1ebc_story.html |url-status=live}} Phone records unearthed during impeachment proceedings in 2019 revealed that there were regular contacts between Solomon, Giuliani, Toensing, Toensing's client and Giuliani associate Lev Parnas, and other Trump allies.{{Cite news|last1=Prokop|first1=Andrew|date=December 4, 2019|title=Democrats' impeachment report reveals new phone records from Giuliani and others|work=Vox|url=https://www.vox.com/2019/12/4/20994110/impeachment-report-phone-records-giuliani-trump|access-date=April 28, 2021}}

Toensing and diGenova were frequent guests on Fox News and Fox Business throughout 2019. In November 2019, diGenova used an appearance on Fox Business to spread conspiracy theories about George Soros and make unevidenced claims that Soros controlled the State Department. After that appearance, which resulted in widespread calls for Fox to ban diGenova, Toensing and diGenova stopped appearing on the network.{{Cite news|last=Baragona|first=Justin|date=September 23, 2020|title=Former Fox News Regular Joe diGenova Claims Network Is Beholden to George Soros|language=en|work=The Daily Beast|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/former-fox-news-regular-joe-digenova-tells-seb-gorka-the-network-is-beholden-to-george-soros|access-date=December 1, 2020}}

In November 2020, Trump named Toensing, diGenova, Sidney Powell and Jenna Ellis to join a legal team led by Giuliani to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election in which Trump was defeated.

On April 28, 2021, federal agents executed a search warrant related to the Justice Department's ongoing criminal probe into Giuliani's pro-Trump political activities in Ukraine, at the home of Toensing, taking her cell phone.{{Cite web|last=Cohen|first=Marshall|date=April 28, 2021|title=What's happening with the Rudy Giuliani raids and Ukraine investigation|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/28/politics/giuliani-raid-explained/index.html|access-date=2021-04-29|website=CNN}} Her law firm released a statement asserting she had been told she was not a target of an investigation.{{Cite web|url=https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/conservative-lawyer-and-legal-commentator-victoria-toensing-caught-up-in-giuliani-dragnet-report/|title=Conservative Lawyer and Legal Commentator Victoria Toensing Caught Up in Giuliani Dragnet: Report|website=Law & Crime|date=April 28, 2021}} In a May 2021 court filing, investigators disclosed that in late 2019 they acquired a search warrant for Toensing's iCloud account, and that of Giuliani, and for an email account belonging to her. Toensing and Giuiliani demanded to review the documents underlying the warrants, asserting their attorney-client privilege with clients may have been violated, which investigators disputed, arguing the attorneys had no special privilege to review the documents prior to any charges. Investigators said they employed a "filter team" to prevent them from seeing information potentially protected by attorney-client privilege.{{cite news |last1=Neumeister |first1=Larry |title=Feds: 18 electronic devices seized from Giuliani and firm |url=https://apnews.com/article/ny-state-wire-donald-trump-europe-business-government-and-politics-ee268ae04ecbd716590c8cfb605d9fc7 |work=Associated Press |date=May 20, 2021}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/20/politics/rudy-giuliani-raid/index.html |title=Prosecutors took 18 electronic devices from Rudy Giuliani's home and office in April raid |first1=Kara |last1=Scannell |first2=Erica |last2=Orden |work=CNN|date=May 20, 2021}}{{Cite web|first=Adam|last=Klasfeld|url=https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/rudy-giuliani-and-victoria-toensing-are-not-above-the-law-because-of-their-important-clients-feds-say/|title=Rudy Giuliani and Victoria Toensing Are Not 'Above the Law' Because of Their 'Important Clients,' Feds Say|date=May 21, 2021|work=Law and Crime}}

Toensing and her husband were among several Trump associates who were emailed by OANN anchor Christina Bobb on December 13, 2020, regarding efforts by Republicans in seven states to appoint false electors and create fraudulent certificates of ascertainment to be submitted to vice president Mike Pence for certification on January 6, 2021.{{cite news |last1=Woodruff Swan |first1=Betsy |title=Top Trump lawyers briefed in detail on alternate elector plot on Dec. 13, 2020 |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/21/top-trump-lawyers-briefed-on-granular-details-of-alternate-elector-plot-00047107 |work=Politico |date=July 21, 2022}}

Personal life

The former Victoria Long married Trent Toensing in 1962; the couple divorced in 1976.{{cite news|last=McCawley|first=Harry|url=http://www.therepublic.com/2018/03/27/columbus-native-makes-waves-in-washington-d-c/|title=Columbus native makes waves in Washington, D.C., was contender to represent Trump|work=The Republic|date=March 27, 2018|orig-year=May 9, 2013|access-date=December 1, 2020}} In 1981, she married Joseph diGenova. DiGenova and Toensing are partners in the eponymous Washington, D.C. law firm.{{Cite web|url=http://www.digenovatoensing.com/attorneybiosvt.htm|title=diGenova & Toensing|website=www.digenovatoensing.com|access-date=December 26, 2007|archive-date=November 22, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071122021927/http://www.digenovatoensing.com/attorneybiosvt.htm|url-status=dead}}

Toensing has three children from her first marriage, including Todd Toensing of Jericho, Vermont; Amy Toensing, a photojournalist;{{Cite web|url=http://thephotosociety.org/member/amy-toensing/|title=Amy Toensing – The Photo Society|website=thephotosociety.org}} and Brady Toensing, who joined the Justice Department in June 2019 as senior counsel in its Office of Legal Policy.{{Cite news |first1=Stephanie |last1=Baker |first2=Irina |last2=Reznik |url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2019/10/18/win-giulianis-help-oligarchs-allies-pursued-biden-dirt/40341243/ |title=To win Giuliani's help, oligarch's allies pursued Biden dirt |newspaper=The Detroit News |agency=Bloomberg News |language=en |access-date=October 19, 2019 |date=October 18, 2019}}{{Cite news |url=https://vtdigger.org/2019/06/10/toensing-tapped-u-s-department-justice-resigns-gop-vice-chair/ |title=Toensing tapped by U.S. Department of Justice; resigns as GOP vice chair |last1=Galloway |first1=Anne |last2=Meyn |first2=Colin |date=June 10, 2019|work=VTDigger |language=en-US |access-date=October 19, 2019}} Formerly, Brady Toensing was vice chair of the Vermont Republican Party, as well as a high-profile and controversial Vermont lawyer, and partner in his mother's and step-father's law firm.{{Cite news |first=Wilson |last=Ring |date=July 10, 2017 |url=https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2017/07/10/lawyer-behind-sanders-allegations-has-history-of-complaints |title=Lawyer behind Sanders' allegations has history of complaints |work=Boston.com |agency=Associated Press}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.sevendaysvt.com/OffMessage/archives/2019/06/11/vermont-gop-vice-chair-brady-toensing-lands-a-job-at-department-of-justice |title=Vermont GOP Vice Chair Brady Toensing Lands a Job at Department of Justice |last=Dobbs |first=Taylor |newspaper=Seven Days |language=en |access-date=October 19, 2019|date=June 11, 2019}} The Justice Department has said that Brady Toensing is recused from matters involving the diGenova & Toensing law firm, including the Trump–Ukraine scandal.{{Cite web |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/10/brady-toensing-justice-department/ |title=The Justice Department hired the son of a vocal Trump defender |last=Friedman |first=Dan |magazine=Mother Jones |language=en-US |access-date=October 19, 2019 |date=October 17, 2019}} It was asserted that he helped to choose judicial nominees for Trump.

References

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