Trump transition team associate arrested in New York on child pornography charges – By Chris Sommerfeldt (New York Daily News) / June 3 2019
George Nader, a Lebanese-American businessman who played an unusual role on President Trump’s transition team, was arrested on child pornography charges in New York on Monday, federal prosecutors said.
Federal agents cuffed Nader at JFK Airport and charged him with possessing a cellphone containing images or videos of children “engaged in sexually explicit conduct,” according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s office in Alexandria, Va.
Nader, who pleaded guilty to similar charges in 1991, will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison if convicted, prosecutors said. He could face a maximum of 40 years behind bars.
The charges were confidentially filed by the Virginia office on Jan. 17, 2018, according to the feds. The charges were unsealed after Nader’s arrest and he’s expected to make an initial appearance in court in New York.
Nader served as a link between members of Trump’s presidential transition and Middle Eastern officials as well as Russians trying to curry favor with the incoming administration.
The 60-year-old Lebanese national, who holds U.S. citizenship, most prominently helped coordinate a controversial January 2017 meeting in the Seychelles between Trump-boosting Blackwater founder Erik Prince and a Russian government official with close ties to President Vladimir Putin.
Nader’s testimony to Mueller contradicted Prince’s contention that the Seychelles meeting was random and not coordinated with people connected to the Trump transition.
Nader was interviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller’s prosecutors as part of their investigation into possible coordination between Trump campaign officials and Russians interfering in the 2016 election.
Mueller mentioned Nader by name in dozens of footnotes in his 448-page report. The citations refer to information Nader provided in interviews as well as emails and text messages.
Vice President Pence, who led Trump’s transition team, did not return a request for comment via a spokeswoman. Nader could not be immediately reached for comment.
This 1998 frame from video provided by C-SPAN shows George Nader, who was arrested in New York on Monday on child pornography charges. (AP)
