lawsuits – because of questions about the source of the money. Citing the contribution Thursday, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman, who announced the campaign finance charges, characterized the suspicious donation as one of the largest that the committee had received.

America First acknowledged on Thursday receiving the donation, adding that the committee also was aware of the FEC complaint.

"Accordingly, America First Action placed that contribution in a segregated bank account, it has not been used for any purpose and the funds will remain in this segregated account until these matters are resolved," the committee said in a statement.

Trump in Minnesota:Trump lashes out at Democrats over impeachment inquiry at Minneapolis rally

Arrested, then subpoenaed

As the criminal case was unfolding against Parnas and Fruman on Thursday, Congress also was pursuing them asalso expect your clients to appear to testify about these matters at a later date."

By Thursday afternoon, however, Parnas and Fruman, whose Wednesday lunch with Giuliani was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, were in no position to tend to Congress' demands.

During a brief federal court hearing in Alexandria, Virginia, a judge set bail at $1 million for each defendant, demanding that both submit to electronic monitoring before they would be released from custody. The case is likely to move to a federal court in New York, where the charges were first filed Thursday.

Before the day's end, however, New York FBI chief William Sweeney and Berman – a Trump appointee – sounded a decidedly ominous note, saying that the investigation had not ended with with the arrests