Donald Trump continues to insist he doesn’t know Lev Parnas, an associate of Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani who now says Trump was aware of efforts to surface dirt on political rivals.

He says this despite numerous photos of the two men together.

Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said he didn’t know anything about Parnas, with whom he’s posed with in photographs.

Trump said he takes thousands of photos at fundraisers, but suggested that did not mean he knows Parnas.

Trump said he did not believe he’d ever spoken to Parnas.

Just asked Trump about Parnas claim that admin efforts in Ukraine were "all about 2020." Trump insisted he's only posed for photos with Parnas. Kept repeating that defense. Eventually told me to be "quiet." Video coming… More to come…

— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) January 16, 2020

He then added he would “probably” be attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, despite the event coinciding with his impeachment trial.

Some context here: Parnas — a central figure in the White House’s alleged Ukraine pressure campaign — said yesterday that Trump “knew exactly what was going on” despite his repeated denials of wrongdoing.

“He was aware of all my movements. I wouldn’t do anything without the consent of Rudy Giuliani, or the President,” Parnas told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow. “I have no intent, I have no reason, to speak to any of these officials.”

Parnas asserted he was the one “on the ground” doing Trump and Giuliani’s work, “and that’s the secret that they’re trying to keep.”

Once the press op was over, Trump proved the impeachment is killing his ego, because he immediately tweeted:

I JUST GOT IMPEACHED FOR MAKING A PERFECT PHONE CALL!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2020

WATCH:

The President spends over a minute denying he knows Lev Parnas and talking about pictures… pic.twitter.com/i7NaMhOaC6

— Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) January 16, 2020

“I’m a little dictator and I don’t wanna answer your questions. “ pic.twitter.com/7eFcwaXw5b

— BLUEDOG (@trumpanhator2) January 16, 2020