UAE Adviser With Ties to Trump Associates Cooperating With Robert Mueller’s Probe
Another piece to special counsel Robert Mueller’s puzzle is cooperating with his investigation, as the New York Times reports United Arab Emirates adviser George Nader recently offered a testimony in front of a grand jury last week.
Nader’s role in the investigation is related to Mueller looking into whether or not funds from foreign entities played a role in the 2016 presidential election, since the Lebanese-American business adviser plays a role in UAE leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan’s affairs. Given that foreign campaign contributions are illegal, Nader’s testimony is uniquely noteworthy.
A January 2017 meeting in the Seychelles islands between the crown prince, Blackwater founder Erik Prince, and Vladimir Putin-allied fund manager Kirill Dmitriev is also at the center of Nader’s involvement in the Mueller probe, reports the Times:
“Mr. Nader represented the crown prince in the three-way conversation in the Seychelles, at a hotel overlooking in the Indian Ocean, in the days before Mr. Trump took office. At the meeting, Emirati officials believed Mr. Prince was speaking for the Trump transition team, and a Russian fund manager, Kirill Dmitriev, represented Mr. Putin, according to several people familiar with the meeting. Mr. Nader, who grew close later to several advisers in the Trump White House, had once worked as a consultant to Blackwater, a private security firm. Mr. Nader introduced his former employer to the Russian.”
However, the parties involved with the meeting have denied any questionable conduct took place at the meeting, or just ignored questions regarding Seychelles altogether — leaving officials with little knowledge on the nature of the gathering. Prince claims he was not representing the president in any capacity, noting that the Dmitriev encounter was casual and non-Trump related.
Nader, who previously worked as a Blackwater consultant and has close ties to several administration advisers, introduced the on-and-off informal Trump adviser Prince to Dmitriev.
[image via Alex Wong/Getty Images]
