National Security

Erik Prince acknowledges attending 2016 Trump Tower meeting ‘to talk about Iran policy’

Erik Prince, the former head of Blackwater and brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, has acknowledged that he was present at a key 2016 Trump Tower meeting.

In an interview on Al Jazeera’s “Head to Head” that aired Friday, Prince said he was present at an Aug. 3, 2016, meeting at Trump Tower to “talk about Iran policy.”

The New York Times reported last year 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.

{mosads}Prince previously testified under oath to the House Intelligence Committee on Nov. 30, 2017, saying at the time that he had “no official” or “really unofficial role” in the Trump campaign and his only involvement in helping was attending fundraisers and placing yard signs.

“Head to Head” host Mehdi Hasan pressed Prince on why his presence at the meeting was apparently not part of his testimony to lawmakers, to which Prince suggested, “they got the transcript wrong,” prompting laughter from the audience. 

Prince later added, “not all of the discussion that day was transcribed.”

A spokesperson for the House Intelligence Committee chair did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.

Prince’s latest comments come as he and Nader have both been asked to cooperate in the House Judiciary Committee’s expansive probe for possible abuse of power, obstruction of justice and corruption by Trump and his allies.

Prince said last year that he has been cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller’s team, which is investigating possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. 

Mueller’s team has reportedly probed several 2017 meetings that occurred in Seychelles during the period Prince met with a Russian banker there. 

Prince has acknowledged that he traveled to the Seychelles and that he met with a Russian government official while there, but has denied that he was acting on behalf of the Trump administration.

Updated at 8:23 p.m.

Tags Betsy DeVos Donald Trump Donald Trump Jr. Robert Mueller

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