(CNN) – A Middle East specialist with ties to Donald Trump’s team attended secret meetings during the presidential transition between the United Arab Emirates and Trump associates, and is now cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller, two people familiar with the matter say.
George Nader, a low-profile diplomatic go-between who has forged close ties to the Emirates, was stopped and questioned by the FBI at Dulles International Airport in January as he returned from an overseas trip, these sources say. Since then, he has been talking to Mueller’s investigators and providing information to the grand jury.
Nader attended a December 2016 meeting in New York between Emirati officials and members of Trump’s inner circle, and another in January 2017 in the Seychelles islands between the Emiratis and Erik Prince, a Trump associate. Nader was also in the Seychelles when Prince met with a Russian banker, the sources said.
The special counsel’s questions about the Emiratis point to an investigation that has expanded beyond Russian meddling in the 2016 election to broader concerns about foreign influence during the presidential campaign and long after it concluded. The Washington Post reported last week that at least four countries, including the United Arab Emirates, have discussed ways they could compromise Jared Kushner, the President’s son-in-law.
While there is no indication that Nader is suspected of wrongdoing, his knowledge of key meetings involving the Emiratis and others could be helpful to the special counsel in understanding the inner workings of the transition and possible efforts to influence key figures in the administration.
Nader learned for the first time when he returned to Dulles that the special counsel was interested in him and the information he had about key sessions, at least two of which he personally attended.
The FBI agents with search warrants imaged his electronic devices and then served him with a grand jury subpoena ordering him to appear January 19, according to a person familiar with Nader’s involvement. An agreement was reached that Nader appear for questioning with Mueller’s investigators.
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A 'man of mystery' with ties to Donald Trump’s team attended secret meetings during the presidential transition between the United Arab Emirates and Trump associates — and he's now cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller https://t.co/cbaGuzIxPP pic.twitter.com/3O9HBCB3tw
— CNN (@CNN) March 7, 2018
8. Needless to say, the fact Nader was present at that meeting puts Mueller in the incredibly great position of catching two birds with one stone, bc Nader is directly involved in UAE attempts to PAY for US policy (literally) AND he's a witness to Prince meeting RUSSIAN envoy.
— Ale (@aliasvaughn) March 7, 2018
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