Top Emirates adviser cooperating with Mueller: Report

A top adviser to the United Arab Emirates who was present at meetings with Trump associates is cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, the New York Times reports. 

The adviser, Lebanese-American businessman George Nader, testified before a grand jury last week, two people told the New York Times, and Mueller is interested in whether Nader funneled money from the Emirates towards Donald Trump’s presidential endeavors. Providing or accepting any contribution from foreign entities in American elections is illegal. 

The Times also reported Nader, who advises Emirates’ Crown Prince Mohammad Zayed Al-Nahyan, attended a January 2017 meeting that Mueller’s team has probed. That meeting, which happened days before Mr. Trump took office, the Times reported, involved a Russian investor with ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin and Erik Prince, who informally advised Mr. Trump’s campaign during the transition. In congressional testimony last year, Prince, founder of security firm Blackwater, denied representing the Trump campaign in that meeting. 

Mueller is investigating Russian election meddling and any ties to the Trump campaign. So far, Mueller’s investigation has led to the indictment of 13 Russians and multiple former campaign officials, including Michael Flynn, George Papadopoulos, Paul Manafort, Rick Gates, Richard Pinedo and Alex van der Zwaan. 

CBS News confirmed Monday that Mueller is looking for documents related to the president and several of his closest advisers and campaign associates, as a part of the Russia probe. Axios and NBC reported the document subpoena includes emails, text messages, work papers, phone logs and other documents dating back to November 2015.