A key figure in the Trump-Russia investigation is also a convicted pedophile


Lebanese-American businessman and international fixer George Nader was on his way to Mar-a-Lago in January when Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigators stopped him during a Dulles layover, seized his electronics, and released him to his lawyer, The Associated Press reports, citing people familiar with the case. Mueller is investigating Russian election meddling in 2016 and President Trump's campaign, and Nader — who, AP reports, was convicted of pedophilia in Prague 15 years ago — agreed to cooperate with Mueller's investigation.
Mueller is reportedly looking into two high-level meetings Nader attended after Trump's election: one in Trump Tower with Jared Kushner, Stephen Bannon, and the crown prince who leads the United Arab Emirates and employs Nader as an adviser, Mohammed bin Zayed; and the second in the Seychelles involving bin Zayed, alleged Trump secret envoy Erik Prince, and Russian banker Kirill Dmitriev, who is close with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Prague Municipal Court spokeswoman Marketa Puci told AP on Wednesday that Nader was convicted of 10 cases of sexually abusing minors between 1999 and 2002, and sentenced to a year in a Prague prison in 2003. He was specifically convicted of "moral corruption of minors, sexual abuse, and impairing morals," after paying or offering to pay underage boys for sex, Puci told AP, which saw a copy of the verdict. Sandeep Savla, a lawyer for Nader, called the newly revealed conviction "nothing more than an orchestrated, disgusting scheme by those who are trying to intimidate Mr. Nader into silence. It won't work. Mr. Nader will continue to answer truthfully questions put to him by the special counsel." You can read more about Nader and his legal woes at AP.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Fannie Flagg’s 6 favorite books that sparked her imagination
Feature The author recommends works by Johanna Spyri, John Steinbeck, and more
-
Google: A monopoly past its prime?
Feature Google’s antitrust case ends with a slap on the wrist as courts struggle to keep up with the tech industry’s rapid changes
-
Patrick Hemingway: The Hemingway son who tended to his father’s legacy
Feature He was comfortable in the shadow of his famous father, Ernest Hemingway
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants