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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsPurpose of the Seychelles meeting between Russians and Trump associates
Michal Kranz
Special counsel Robert Mueller has reportedly gathered enough evidence to conclude that the January 2017 meeting between an associate of President Donald Trump, a Russian banker, and a representative of the United Arab Emirates in the Seychelles was conducted in order to set up a back channel for communication between the incoming Trump administration and Russia, The Washington Post reported.
The meeting has attracted significant attention since news broke that Lebanese-American businessman George Nader, who acted as an adviser and representative of Emirati Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan at the meeting, has been cooperating with Mueller's office since January of this year, according to The New York Times. It is unclear how much Nader has contributed to Mueller's information gathering.
But the conclusion Mueller, who is investigating Russian election interference, has reportedly reached stands in stark contrast to the dismissive description that one of the participants, private security entrepreneur Erik Prince, gave the House Intelligence Committee during his testimony in November ...
... the Seychelles meeting would not be the first time the White House has allegedly tried to establish a back-channel with Russia. In December 2016, White House senior adviser and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner met with then-Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak to talk about setting up an unofficial communication channel, The Times reported last year. Former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI last year and is cooperating with the Mueller probe, was reportedly also at the meeting ...
http://www.businessinsider.com/erik-prince-lied-about-nature-of-seychelles-meeting-with-trump-and-russians-2018-3
struggle4progress
(118,271 posts)BY MAX GREENWOOD - 03/08/18 10:07 AM EST
Erik Prince, the founder of private security company Blackwater, is set to host a fundraiser for Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) at his Virginia home later this month.
CNN reported Thursday that Reps. Tom Garrett Jr. (R-Va.) and Dave Brat (R-Va.) are also expected to attend the fundraiser, as is retired Lt. Colonel Oliver North, a former National Security Council staffer during the Reagan administration who played a role in the Iran-Contra affair. Tickets for the event start at $1,000, and donors giving $2,700 will be invited to VIP event.
Prince and Rohrabacher have been friends for decades. The Blackwater founder worked as an intern for the California Republican in 1990. Rohrabacher also defended Prince when Blackwater, today known as Academi, came under fire after a group of its employees opened fire on Iraqi civilians in 2007, killing 17 and injuring 20 ...
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/377364-erik-prince-to-host-fundraiser-for-pro-russia-lawmaker-amid
gratuitous
(82,849 posts)Gee guys, I didn't think all these details would come out when I appeared before your committee that last time. I have a few revisions to make to my prior remarks. Did I say the meeting in the Seychelles was a chance encounter? I meant to say it had been meticulously arranged. I'm sure you can all see how these fine distinctions might have gotten garbled. Just wanted to clear things up on that point. Uh, next . . ."