Convicted child sex offender George Nader visited the White House at least 13 times to meet with President Trump’s then-chief strategist Steve Bannon, records indicate, raising questions about possible gaps in security and judgment.
Nader first visited Bannon in the White House in February 2017. His dozen subsequent visits stretched through August, when Bannon was fired after seven months on the job. It’s unclear if Nader visited the White House after Bannon left.
The Lebanese American businessman, a past consultant for military contractor Blackwater, was known for his links to Saudi and Emirati leaders and secured a $100,000 speaking fee for Bannon shortly after Bannon’s ouster.
“They were always private meetings,” a source told the Washington Examiner, adding they believe the meetings with the convicted felon were “clearly” problematic for Bannon.
The nonpublic visitor log information was provided to the Washington Examiner as indications mount that Bannon is returning to the good graces of Trump’s inner circle, with a recent talk with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and closed-door meeting and tweeted praise from Trump.
Many sources close to Bannon said they had never heard about the meetings or heard Bannon mention Nader. Several said they first learned of Nader as a result of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, which exonerated Trump of conspiring with Russia but resulted in new child pornography and abuse allegations for Nader.
Nader was a subject of intrigue in Mueller’s probe. He attended a December 2016 meeting in Trump Tower with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed and a January 2017 rendezvous in the Seychelles with Blackwater founder Erik Prince and a Russian banker.
A person close to Bannon said he “had zero knowledge of Nader’s criminal record” and redirected any blame at the U.S. Secret Service and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, a longtime Bannon adversary. Bannon met Nader through Kushner, and they worked exclusively on issues around a May 2017 summit in Saudi Arabia attended by Trump, the person said.
“Mr. Bannon met George Nader through Jared Kushner at a meeting in Kushner’s office; it appeared that Kushner had a long-term association with Nader,” the person close to Bannon said. “Kushner was running the planning process for the Riyadh Summit with [deputy national security adviser] Dina Powell in early 2017, which Nader was a part of as a mid-level functionary from the Middle East. All of Nader’s visits were associated with activities around the Riyadh Summit, for which there were dozens of planning and follow on meetings.”
The person close to Bannon said, “Secret Service vetted his entry and let him into the White House, suggesting they, too, had zero knowledge.”
The Riyadh event was organized with input from a diverse array of U.S. officials. A person familiar with the summit denied Nader’s involvement in a meaningful way in planning.
Nader was arrested after a January 2018 search revealed he possessed videos of children as young as two, some performing sex acts on animals. Prosecutors revealed the case in June. In July, he was charged with sex trafficking for allegedly transporting a 14-year-old boy from Europe and then abusing him.
Nader, 60, has a rap sheet dating to the 1980s.
In 1985, he faced child porn charges dropped on procedural grounds. In 1991, he pleaded guilty to a federal child porn charge involving footage of 13- or 14-year-old boys and received a six-month sentence, served at a Baltimore halfway house. The case was sealed “due to the extremely sensitive nature of Mr. Nader’s work in the Middle East,” involving hostage negotiations. However, some people knew of the case. A Freedom of Information Act request from Politico resulted in its unsealing in March 2018.
In 2002, Nader received a one-year sentence in the Czech Republic for 10 counts of sexually abusing boys.
Echoing criticism of the prosecution of wealthy businessman Jeffrey Epstein, federal prosecutors wrote last month that Nader “used his influence and wealth to purchase introductions to vulnerable boys through intermediaries.”
“Underlying these [new] charges is a sordid 30-to-40-year period during which defendant abused his power and wealth to obtain boys for sex and had repeated run-ins with the law both within and outside the United States in connection with his sexual interest in children,” prosecutors wrote.
Transparency advocates said Nader’s visits underscore their argument for the routine release of White House visitor logs, as was partially done under former President Barack Obama.
Anne Weismann, an attorney with Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said “it is important for Americans to know who visits the White House and who may be influencing administration policies.”
“The public should know who White House officials are soliciting for advice,” said Daniel Stevens, executive director of the Campaign for Accountability.
The White House did not provide an on-record reaction. The Secret Service did not respond to a request for comment, nor did Nader’s attorney Chris Clark. Bannon could not be reached for comment.
It’s unclear how many visits Nader made to other White House officials and how many of those meetings happened with Bannon’s facilitation.
