UAE-linked fixer with Trump ties charged with steering illegal donations to Clinton

A Lebanese-American fixer who established ties between the Trump administration, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and was a key Mueller investigation witness, has been indicted on charges of conspiring to funnel more than $3.5m in illegal campaign contributions, the Justice Department announced.

George Nader, who has recently served as a senior political adviser to Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, was charged with conspiring to make campaign contributions without revealing their true source, according to a statement from the prosecutors.

The goal, according to the statement, was to gain influence with high-level political figures, including a 2016 presidential candidate who was not named but has been identified by several media outlets as Hillary Clinton.

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The 60-year-old, who has a history of attempting to make himself indispensable to consecutive US administrations by offering back-channel communications with regional figures, is alleged to have conspired with another Lebanese-American businessman Ahmad Khawaja.

According to the 53-count indictment, Khawaja, the CEO of payment-processing company Allied Wallet, and Nader concealed more than $3.5m in contributions, which were directed to political committees associated with a presidential candidate in the 2016 election.

As the two men allegedly made the payments between March 2016 and January 2017, Nader was reporting to an official from an unnamed foreign government about his efforts to gain influence, the statement said.

Six others who allegedly helped funnel the contributions are also charged.

Nader is already in federal custody, facing three child sex charges in a trial expected to start in January in Virginia. He has pleaded not guilty.

MEE has asked lawyers for Nader and Khawaja to comment, but did not get immediate responses on Wednesday.