Erik Prince, who is again under scrutiny over a January 2017 meeting in the Seychelles with a Kremlin-tied Russian businessman and others, will hold a fundraiser for Russophile congressman Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), CNN reported Thursday.
The March 18 fundraiser for Rohrabacher, to be held at Prince’s residence, will also feature Reps. Tom Garrett (R-VA) and Dave Brat (R-VA), as well as the retired Lt. Colonel Oliver North, CNN reported, based on an invitation it obtained. Tickets are $1,000, or $2,700 to attend a VIP event before the fundraiser.
One participant in Prince’s Seychelles meeting, the Lebanese-American businessman and adviser to United Arab Emirates leadership George Nader, told special counsel Robert Mueller that the purpose of the meeting was to establish a backchannel between the Trump administration and the Kremlin, the Washington Post reported Wednesday night.
Prince had previously told congressional investigators that his conversation with Kirill Dmitriev, who runs a Russian government-controlled wealth fund, was a mere coincidence, and that he had originally just intended to meet with UAE officials.
Rohrabacher’s affinity for Russia is well-known. In May of last year, the Washington Post released a transcript of a June 2016 conversation between House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and other Republican leaders, including House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) in which McCarthy quipped: “There’s two people, I think, Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump.”
CNN noted that Prince and Rohrabacher have been mutual supporters for decades. Prince’s sister is Trump’s secretary of education, Betsy DeVos.
