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.
Subscribe to 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.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in 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.
-
Tied Supreme Court blocks church charter school
speed read The court upheld the Oklahoma Supreme Court's decision to bar overtly religious public charter schools
-
GOP megabill would limit judicial oversight of Trump
speed read The domestic policy bill Republicans pushed through the House would protect the Trump administration from the consequences of violating court orders
-
Judge scolds DOJ over Newark mayor arrest
speed read Ras Baraka was arrested during a May 9 surprise visit to a migrant detention facility
-
Trump lectures South Africa president on 'white genocide'
speed read Trump has cut off aid to South Africa over his demonstrably false genocide claims
-
Trump twists House GOP arms on megabill
speed read The bill will provide a $350 billion boost to military and anti-immigration spending and 'cuts to Medicaid, food stamps and green energy programs'
-
Trump DOJ said to pay $5M to family of Jan. 6 rioter
speed read The US will pay a hefty sum to the family of Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot on January 6
-
Trump DOJ charging House Democrat in ICE fracas
speed read Rep. LaMonica McIver is being charged with assault over a clash outside an immigration detention facility in Newark
-
Biden diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer
speed read The diagnosis hits close to home, as the former president 'dedicated much of his later career to cancer research'