Mueller Obtains Erik Prince's Communications

By Mallory Shelbourne, The Hill

26 June 18

 

pecial counsel Robert Mueller has acquired the communications of Blackwater founder Erik Prince, ABC News reported Monday.

“As Mr. Prince told the Daily Beast he has spoken voluntarily with Congress and also cooperated completely with the special counsel’s investigation, including by providing them total access to his phones and computer,” a spokesperson for Prince told ABC.

“Mr. Prince has a lot of opinions about the various investigations, but there is no question that they are important and serious, and so Mr. Prince will keep his opinions to himself for now and to let the investigators do their work.”

Prince, who is the brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, told The Daily Beast last week that he “cooperated” with Mueller's probe.

“All we will add is that much of the reporting and speculation about Mr. Prince in the media is inaccurate, and we are confident that when the investigators have finished their work, we will be able to put these distractions to the side," the spokesperson added in the statement to ABC.

Mueller is reportedly probing several 2017 meetings that occurred in Seychelles during the time period Prince met with a Russian banker there. 

Last month, The New York Times reported that Prince organized a 2016 meeting at Trump Tower that included Donald Trump Jr. and Lebanese-American businessman George Nader. During that meeting, Nader reportedly said the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia wanted to aid Trump in his bid for the White House.

Mueller has reportedly spoken to Nader as part of the probe into Russia's election interference and any potential ties between Trump campaign staff members and the Kremlin.

Investigators have reached out to two associates who formerly worked with Prince regarding a deal with Russian citizens and a Hong Kong security company, according to the ABC report.