Special counsel Robert Mueller has uncovered evidence that a January 2017 meeting in the Seychelles ahead of President Trump’s inauguration was planned and designed to established a backchannel between the Trump administration and the Kremlin, according to a new report.
George Nadar, a Lebanese-American businessman who has connections with Trump associates, is cooperating with Mueller’s Russia inquiry and told investigators that the meeting had been set up so a member of the Trump transition team could meet with a Russian emissary to discuss the relationship between the U.S. and Russia, the Washington Post reports.
But Erik Prince, founder of the security contractor Blackwater and an informal adviser to Trump’s presidential transition team, told lawmakers on the House Intelligence panel that he met with a Russian investor with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Seychelles by coincidence and not preplanned.
Prince claims he traveled to the Seychelles as a private businessman and was not representing the Trump transition team.
The report comes after it was reported by the New York Times that Nader is under scrutiny for possibly funneling Emirati money to Trump’s political activities. U.S. law bars Americans from wittingly accepting political contributions from foreign entities.
Nadar also reportedly helped plan and participated in the Seychelles meeting.
