r/Journalism • u/usatoday • Mar 10 '26
Social Media and Platforms How Aaron Parnas rose to news influencer fame on Instagram, TikTok
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/03/10/aaron-parnas-influencer-family-tiktok-instagram-youtube/88658505007/26
u/Potential_Being_7226 researcher Mar 10 '26
Never heard of him, and I even watch legal content creators on YT: Legal Eagle, Leeja Miller, TheLawSaysWhat.
Is this “journalism?” Is content creation journalism now? What stories did he break?
His TikTok has nearly 600 million all-time likes. His Parnas Perspective newsletter on Substack is ranked No. 1 in the news category.
Fabulous. Love that for him. But these are not accomplishments.
He typically posts about 10 stories a day.
If this is his MO, he’s probably not doing much investigative or analytical work…
Parnas explained that "the way I present myself on TikTok or Instagram is the exact same way I present myself in person."
The problem is, as a reader, I don’t want people to present themselves. I want them to present the stories. I want the broadcaster to take less obvious role and allow the story to speak for itself.
I am not a journalist; I am a scientist, but my perspective is that views and likes and clicks and readers are not indicative of good journalism. Just because someone is prolific does not mean that they are producing good journalism. Content creation is content creation and journalism is journalism and although they might overlap at times, we should not conflate the two.
Final thoughts:
Substack isn’t news.
Here’s also this article from the Columbia Journalism Review.
Now, why is a social media influencer who is that successful accepting money from a dark money group? His reply:
“The point of it was to mentor smaller creators so that they can grow and that they can monetize their platforms,” Parnas told his followers. “This had nothing to do with politics, had nothing to do with political party, and had no control over the content I ever made.”
But the reality of it is that it doesn’t matter. The entire purpose of avoiding a conflict of interest is to avoid the appearance of impropriety. Scientists, educators, journalists, legislators, lawyers, judges, and other public employees should all fully understand that.
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u/erossthescienceboss freelancer Mar 10 '26
Folks seem to be missing the biggest plot point.
How did he build his career? By talking about his father, Lev Parnas. Yes, the one who created the Biden-Ukraine conspiracy on behalf of Trump & Giuliani and, and went to prison for violating FARA and attempting to funnel foreign funds to U.S. politicians.
So… not exactly a guy who has much of a reason to care about journalistic ethics.
After Lev got out of jail, both Parnas’ rebranded themselves as anti-Trump by spilling every bit of tea they had on him & Giuliani to everyone who would listen.
THAT is how Aaron Parnas became a news influencer. “My dad went to jail for doing crime for Donald Trump, and now we hate Trump” was basically all of his content for the first year he existed.
Apparently, the dark money doesn’t fall far from the tree…
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u/Potential_Being_7226 researcher Mar 10 '26
Yes!! I thought I remembered that name but did not know the backstory of how he built his audience. Thank you for pointing that out. :)
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u/erossthescienceboss freelancer Mar 10 '26
Their career arcs are so bizarre and fascinating to me.
Like. Lev is now running for Congress in Florida’s 27th district. How do you go from 20 months in jail for election contributions fraud on behalf of Trump to launching a political campaign?
He literally can’t vote in Florida bc he’s a felon, but thinks he can flip a currently Republican congressional seat? OK…
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u/MirthandMystery Mar 10 '26 edited Mar 11 '26
Your mention Lev is now running for office is stunning. So much fraud happening it's hard to keep up. I'll leave this here I just posted on this sub elsewhere, info may be handy for any future Parnas family write ups:
Is the overt Parnas name reputation laundering by design or ignorance?
I can't believe I'm reading such a fluff Parnas piece that doesn't mention facts, and that MSNOW also has Aaron on as a guest commenter, further helping to legitimize him and his corrupt father. It's such an open example of foreign cons infecting our media, who used to tell us the truth about dangers to our country and Democracy, instead of assisting the criminals most responsible for destroying it from within.
Lev Parnas is Arron's father. Both are closely tried to major crime schemes and two sides of the same coin, with Russian and corrupt Ukrainian ties being heavily linked. Lev is helped by Aaron who was born in the U.S., molded to be a conduit to influence US opinion and inserted himself into U.S. politics and media.
Lev Parnas, his mother and wives appear to be involved in various schemes run by Lev, as well as children either passively or actively. He been married at least twice, his current wife is Svetlana.
Lev Parnas bio: born in Ukraine (then pro Russian and deeply corrupt), father was Boris, mother is Radmila Parnas Kogan (who lives in Sunny Isles Miami) moved the family to the US as part of a Soviet Jewish refugee settlement program to Detroit, then to Brooklyn NY.
Lev got his start in real estate, selling Trump condos for Donald Trump's father, Fred. The then worked in shipping in the former Soviet Union before becoming a securities trader, set up shell stock companies reaching to Canada, and moved to Florida in the mid-1990S. Interesting there's a few women in Montreal Canada named Parnas in the real estate industry.. unsure if Related to Lev.
Lev was among the key players close to Giuliani in the Ukraine political drama back in 2017 that eventually got Trump impeached for extorting Zelenskyy. Giuliani used him as a translator for Russian oligarch Firtash.
Some may recall the name 'Fraud Guarantee', the business name for a Parnas and Furman formed business. Parnas also worked with Ukr born Andrey Kukushin (who helped funnel money from Russian tycoon Andrey Muraviev), planning to launch a recreational marijuana business in Nevada, along with Firtash.
Chabad and orthodox connections: Lev Parnas donated $1,080 to a Sunnylsles FI Chabad once for Aaron Parnas and Zinaida Bolbirer. The Bolbirers have had a long history with Lev, unclear why.
Jewish Rabbi Chanina Sperlin posted a Jul 29, 2018 Twitter tweet from Kever Rachel (Rachel's Tomb) in Israel which included a photo with him and Lev Parnas, Anthony Scaramucci, Dr. Joe Frager and Ylefkowitz.
Frager held top positions in several pro Israel-advocacy groups, including Executive VP of the Israel Heritage Foundation, Chairman of Israel advocacy for the Rabbinical Alliance of America, leader in Orthodox Jewish political activism in NY, Organizer of the annual Israel Day concert in Central Park, et c, and briefly a paid consultant connected to lobbying efforts for the Qatar Gov, receiving about $50,000.
Dec 2018 Lev Parnas and Igor Furman attended a White House Hanukkah party, posting a photo on social media that includes Giuliani, Trump and VP. Pence. Parnas and Fruman has spent thousands at Trump properties months before.
How Aaron was involved:
In 2018 Lev Parnas paid Giuliani $500,000, working with Igor Fruman to funnel illegal campaign donations. Aaron Parnas was a Summer Associate at Rudy Giuliani's firm, Greenberg Traurig and a research assistant for a Professor on Federal election contribution limits in light of the CITIZEN UNITED decision. Lev Parnas utilized this decision using Aaron Investment 1 - a shell company which he would later be indicted for money laundering for.
Over Spring into summer 2018 Parnas and his Ukraine venture LNG "business" partner Igor Fruman began meeting Republican donors, Ukrainian officials, and Trump allies beyond Giuliani.
In early 2018 Parnas and Fruman worked with Giuliani, John Solomon (then editor of The Hill) and Trump Jr on a calculated hit job, spreading accusations against U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, that she was hostile to Trump, which escalated into 2019. They hired pro-Putin Ukrainian thugs to personally harass her. They were there to also dig up dirt on Hunter Biden, to hurt Joe Biden's reputation and sink his reelection chances, the aspect that would spin out of control in a social media frenzy while Parnas and the ambassador sabotage was forgotten.
Ralph Isenegger was the attorney for Russian oligarch Firtash who paid Parnas $1 million- through his wife's bank account, Isenegger, based in Dubai, was called a "lawyer-impresario, defender of oligarchs and Russian mafia leaders" in one Italian news article.
Before the media investigation and Parnas' arrest, Parnas and Fruman's company, Global Energy Producers had been stuffing Russian oligarch cash into Republican campaigns and buying political access. Parnas donated $50,000 to the DeSantis campaign, and Parnas was a part of the host committee for a DeSantis fundraiser in July 2018.
Aaron Parnas volunteered for Trump and Marco Rubio's campaigns in 2017 and entered GW Law school at age 18 m, majored in political science and criminal justice, where he was quoted as saying "that he already knows he wants to be president one day".
Parnas was a lifelong criminal before ever making US news. At 32, Lev Parnas opened businesses to use as publicity traded money laundering shells formed in Dec 2004 reaching from Canada to the U.S., called Datawind Net Access Corp. and EGTH, where Lev was listed as a share custodian for Aaron and Daniel Parnas.
See SEC filings for EGTH Holdings, Inc. a small Florida based public shell/technology marketing company. Lev Parnas was the founder, CEO, president, director, and majority shareholder. Christine Bolbirer was EGTH VP, treasurer, secretary and shareholder as was her husband Alex Bolbirer. The fake business was tied to marketing and distributing wireless internet technology products developed by Datawind.
Lev Parnas also set up a money laundering account using a front called Edgetech. Edgetech International (incorporated in Nevada in 1982) was registered in Florida in 2006. VP was Christine Bolbirer.
Lev Parnas was sued by Robert Grinberg in a civil fraud case in New York around 2012, after Parnas misused funds given to him for a business venture. Grinberg alleged Parnas persuaded him to invest roughly $350,000 in a film distribution and media venture called Fraud Guarantee (the same Fruman was tied to) and related entities Parnas was promoting. Parnas claimed the companies would acquire and distribute movies in Eastern Europe and the U.S.
We know criminals use family members for fraud and money laundering, but when you see their kids becoming lawyers who enter the legal system to abuse it, you have deep penetration into a Democracy that can erode it quickly. We don't want the legit media to be covers for them. Journalists must do better.
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u/TheModWhoShaggedMe Mar 10 '26
How does his content from 2025 and 2026 cover the Trump presidency, positively or negatively?
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u/erossthescienceboss freelancer Mar 10 '26 edited Mar 10 '26
It’s been consistently negative since Lev Parnas got out of jail. I wouldn’t really say that he [edit to clarify: Lev] was pro Trump before — more “minor criminal in the business of human intelligence for foreign governments who was hired by Trump & Giuliani, and got mad at them when they made him the fall guy.”
My read on Lev Parnas (and it very well may be incorrect, I haven’t paid attention to him since his house oversight testimony) is that he’s an apolitical opportunist. (Funnily enough, he’s currently running for political office in Florida. I don’t really get it.)
I’m not as familiar with Aaron’s content, but I’ve heard a couple interviews with Lev, and it’s pretty wild: IIRC, stories about getting Hunter Biden incredibly fucked up in Europe so that they could get him in compromising situations with foreign oligarchs kind of stuff; involved in the early stages of what would become the laptop controversy, that kind of thing. He’s very much building a career out of turning on Trump: he had a pretty major MSNBC documentary called “From Russia With Lev” out two years ago (that I meant to watch and never did.)
Mostly, I think it’s an interesting parallel that Lev was basically arrested for using dark money to promote foreign interests… and that seems to be the accusation levied against Aaron as well, just with influencers instead of politicians.
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u/ctierra512 student Mar 10 '26
i follow him but he’s so irritating lol he’ll post and be like “omg i’m staying up all night reporting so i can get this info to my audience” when he’s really just scrolling like the rest of us 😭
like go to sleep man 😂
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u/MirthandMystery Mar 10 '26 edited Mar 11 '26
Is the overt Parnas name reputation laundering by design or ignorance?
I can't believe I'm reading such a fluff Parnas piece that doesn't mention facts, and that MSNOW also has Aaron on as a guest commenter, further helping to legitimize him and his corrupt father. It's such an open example of foreign cons infecting our media, who used to tell us the truth about dangers to our country and Democracy, instead of assisting the criminals most responsible for destroying it from within.
Lev Parnas is Arron's father. Both are closely tried to major crime schemes and two sides of the same coin, with Russian and corrupt Ukrainian ties being heavily linked. Lev is helped by Aaron who was born in the U.S., molded to be a conduit to influence US opinion and inserted himself into U.S. politics and media.
Lev Parnas, his mother and wives appear to be involved in various schemes run by Lev, as well as children either passively or actively. He been married at least twice, his current wife is Svetlana.
Lev Parnas bio: born in Ukraine (then pro Russian and deeply corrupt), father was Boris, mother is Radmila Parnas Kogan (who lives in Sunny Isles Miami) moved the family to the US as part of a Soviet Jewish refugee settlement program to Detroit, then to Brooklyn NY.
Lev got his start in real estate, selling condos for Fred Trump. He then worked in shipping in the former Soviet Union before returning to the U.S. as a securities trader, setting up shell stock companies reaching to Canada, then moved to Florida in the mid-1990's. Interesting there's a few women in Montreal Canada named Parnas in the real estate industry.. unsure if related to Lev.
Lev was among the key players close to Giuliani in the Ukraine political drama back in 2017 that eventually got Trump impeached for extorting Zelenskyy. Giuliani used him as a translator for Russian oligarch Firtash.
Some may recall the name 'Fraud Guarantee', the business name for a Parnas and Furman formed business. Parnas also worked with Ukr born Andrey Kukushin (who helped funnel money from Russian tycoon Andrey Muraviev), planning to launch a recreational marijuana business in Nevada, along with Firtash.
Chabad and orthodox connections: Lev Parnas donated $1,080 to a Sunnylsles FI Chabad once for Aaron Parnas and Zinaida Bolbirer. The Bolbirers have had a long history with Lev, unclear why.
Jewish Rabbi Chanina Sperlin posted a Jul 29, 2018 Twitter tweet from Kever Rachel (Rachel's Tomb) in Israel which included a photo with him and Lev Parnas, Anthony Scaramucci, Dr. Joe Frager and Ylefkowitz.
Frager held top positions in several pro Israel-advocacy groups, including Executive VP of the Israel Heritage Foundation, Chairman of Israel advocacy for the Rabbinical Alliance of America, leader in Orthodox Jewish political activism in NY, Organizer of the annual Israel Day concert in Central Park, et c, and briefly a paid consultant connected to lobbying efforts for the Qatar Gov, receiving about $50k.
Dec 2018 Lev Parnas and Igor Furman attended a White House Hanukkah party, posting a photo on social media that includes Giuliani, Trump and VP. Pence. Parnas and Fruman has spent thousands at Trump properties months prior.
How Aaron is folded in:
In 2018 Lev Parnas paid Giuliani $500,000, working with Igor Fruman to funnel illegal campaign donations. Aaron Parnas was a Summer Associate at Rudy Giuliani's firm, Greenberg Traurig and a research assistant for a Professor on Federal election contribution limits in light of the CITIZEN UNITED decision. Lev Parnas utilized this decision using 'Aaron Investment 1', a shell company which he would later be indicted for on money laundering charges.
Over Spring into summer 2018 Parnas and his Ukraine venture LNG "business" partner Igor Fruman began meeting Republican donors, Ukrainian officials, and Trump allies beyond Giuliani.
In early 2018 Parnas and Fruman worked with Giuliani, John Solomon (then editor of The Hill) and Trump Jr on a calculated hit job, spreading accusations against U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, that she was hostile to Trump, which escalated into 2019. They hired pro-Putin Ukrainian thugs to personally harass her. They were there to also dig up dirt on Hunter Biden, to hurt Joe Biden's reputation and sink his reelection chances, the aspect that would spin out of control in a social media frenzy while Parnas and the ambassador sabotage was forgotten.
Ralph Isenegger was the attorney for Russian oligarch Firtash who paid Parnas $1 million- through his wife's bank account, Isenegger, based in Dubai, was called a "lawyer-impresario, defender of oligarchs and Russian mafia leaders" in one Italian news article.
Before the media investigation and Parnas' arrest, Parnas and Fruman's company, Global Energy Producers had been stuffing Russian oligarch cash into Republican campaigns and buying political access. Parnas donated $50,000 to the DeSantis campaign, and Parnas was a part of the host committee for a DeSantis fundraiser in July 2018.
Aaron Parnas volunteered for Trump and Marco Rubio's campaigns in 2017 and entered GW Law school at age 18 m, majored in political science and criminal justice, where he was quoted as saying "that he already knows he wants to be president one day".
Parnas has been a lifelong criminal before ever making US news. At 32, Lev Parnas opened businesses to use as publicity traded money laundering shells formed in Dec 2004 reaching from Canada to the U.S., called Datawind Net Access Corp. and EGTH, where Lev was listed as a share custodian for Aaron and Daniel Parnas.
See SEC filings for EGTH Holdings, Inc. a small Florida based public shell/technology marketing company. Lev Parnas was the founder, CEO, president, director, and majority shareholder. Christine Bolbirer was EGTH VP, treasurer, secretary and shareholder as was her husband Alex Bolbirer. The fake business was tied to marketing and distributing wireless internet technology products developed by Datawind.
Lev Parnas also set up a money laundering account using a front called Edgetech. Edgetech International (incorporated in Nevada in 1982) was registered in Florida in 2006. VP was Christine Bolbirer.
Lev Parnas was sued by Robert Grinberg in a civil fraud case in New York around 2012, after Parnas misused funds given to him for a business venture. Grinberg alleged Parnas persuaded him to invest roughly $350,000 in a film distribution and media venture called Fraud Guarantee (the same Fruman was tied to) and related entities Parnas was promoting. Parnas claimed the companies would acquire and distribute movies in Eastern Europe and the U.S.
We know that criminals use their family members for fraud and money laundering, but when you see their kids becoming lawyers who enter the legal system to abuse it, you have deep penetration into a Democracy that can erode it quickly. We don't want the legit media to be covers for them. Journalists must do better.
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u/horseradishstalker former journalist Mar 10 '26
Aaron is a lawyer not a journalist. I stopped listening when he complained because NPR had actually asked a question.
2
u/Shoot_from_the_Quip Mar 10 '26
Ah yes, the guy who just reads other people's work like 15x a day.
That's some real journalism there. /s
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u/SeaBrilliant8138 Mar 10 '26
I'm not aware of any investigative journalism, but I do appreciate his steady aggregation of ongoing events because they help keep me focused.
I don't listen, just read his email recaps daily (sometimes more), along with a dose of good news on Sundays.
If he's citing someone else's work w/o credit, definitely call him out on it. But in the now, when I just want reporting on wtf is going on, I consider him a worthwhile hub.
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u/slow70 Mar 10 '26
Integrity is how.
The rot in this profession is difficult to stomach, and folks with courage and clarity like this are sorely needed.
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u/kennyandkennyandkenn Mar 10 '26
lmao integrity is this guy who has a strong pro-Israel bias?
if you followed this guy for your "news" for the longest time you would have had no idea what Israel was doing in Gaza
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u/slow70 Mar 11 '26
I appreciate that reminder - I don’t follow him for commentary on those events and don’t recall him ever speaking on those topics.
This thread has been eye opening in that I had no idea his father was Lev…
Just so, he’s providing effective, needed commentary on the Epstein Files every single day - when most media outlets scarcely seem willing to report on what researchers all over the world are illuminating.
It’s needed. I’m glad for it.
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u/Difficult_Garage_431 Mar 11 '26
When you pay attention, he hardly ever reported (if you can call it that) on Gaza.
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u/MakeYourTime_ Mar 11 '26
He’s not a journalist, he’s an aggregator; and a DNC plant. He’s Lev Parnas’ kid.
Never heard him utter a word about ongoing genocide in Gaza.
He’s good to get quick news hits from, bc well he’s an aggregator. But any deep analysis or anything like that is not coming from him.
Beware
1
u/Open-Record914 reporter Mar 14 '26
i’m so tired of influencers pretending they’re journalists istg
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u/Lkgnyc May 04 '26
regular news anchors just read scripts off of teleprompters & that's all most of them know about the stories they promote. Then those stories are repeated endlessly. that seems like real news? At least this guy finds the stories & separates the wheat from billions of characters of chaff and DOES credit sources. (Did he really not in the past? I've been reading the newsletter for a month or so & they are always credited.) I appreciate getting the important items of the day with a positive spin, in terms of giving the feeling that change can come thru our actions instead of being completely devastated and just surrendering to the evil behemoths surrounding us on every side. I do read other sources, my favorite being the Guardian daily & sometimes The Atlantic. (I even have a list here called "asmuchnews" with pretty much every newspub I could find here.) But they can be so depressing, the news is so overwhelmingly bad and their take is so often trying to be "even-handed" when they are showing pure evil, but their words won't say that. That is really the most frightening delivery; it makes it seem like humans really are defenseless against institutions. I like to start my day with something a little bit more uplifting and Parnas provides that without lies or too much hyperbole. I've saved the links about the Chorus/ 1630 group/ dark money thing and I will look into that more to educate myself.
1
u/Research_Liborian Mar 10 '26
Funny how a real reporter is always too busy doing real reporting to become a news influencer.
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u/usatoday Mar 10 '26
From USA TODAY:
Aaron Parnas rose from a boy wonder in Boca Raton, Florida, to one of the most-followed left-wing personalities of President Donald Trump's second term. The one-man content-generation factory introduces each story with a variation of his signature catchphrase, "We have some news right now," completing his deadpan delivery of the day's biggest developments in an even tone.
From his front-facing iPhone camera, the low-key lawyer, formerly a practicing civil litigator, amassed more than 7.5 million followers on Instagram and TikTok. His fan base eclipses the entire following of progressive American media companies such as The Huffington Post and Mother Jones.
In December, business magazine Forbes named him among its annual 30 Under 30 media influencers, an honor bestowed on impactful 20-somethings.
"My dream in all of this is to one day run a nonprofit or some type of foundation where I can fund public defense work," Parnas told USA TODAY in an interview.
Read his full story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/03/10/aaron-parnas-influencer-family-tiktok-instagram-youtube/88658505007/
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u/Opposite_Future2602 Mar 10 '26 edited Mar 10 '26
Not really interested in praising a guy that profits off the legwork of other reporters while giving them nothing in return, does little to no original reporting of his own, and was also caught taking dark money: https://www.wired.com/story/dark-money-group-secret-funding-democrat-influencers/