Former Blackwater chief to testify to House panel in Russia inquiry
Erik Prince is reported to have tried setting up secret communications between Trump and Putin.
Erik Prince, former head of security contractor Blackwater and the brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, has been scheduled to testify before the House Intelligence Committee next week in its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Prince has come under scrutiny since The Washington Post reported in April that he tried to set up a secret back channel between Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin of Russia just days before Trumps inauguration.
Princes spokesman told The Post at the time: Erik had no role on the transition team. This is a complete fabrication. The meeting had nothing to do with President Trump. Why is the so-called under-resourced intelligence community messing around with surveillance of American citizens when they should be hunting terrorists?
Princes interview, as posted by the committee, is described as open in a closed space. That means that although his testimony will be taken privately, the committee intends to post a transcript of the proceedings afterward. They took a similar approach to the testimony provided earlier this month by Carter Page, a former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser.
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/21/erik-prince-blackwater-testify-russia-probe-255111