A witness to special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe reportedly secretly backed the United Arab Emirates’ political agenda after receiving millions of dollars which he donated to U.S. lawmakers, The Associated Press reported Monday.
George Nader, a top fundraiser for President Donald Trump, reportedly wired $2.5 million to Trump fundraiser Elliott Broidy to persuade the U.S. to take a strong stance on Qatar, The Associated Press reported. Not long after he received the donation, Broidy held a conference regarding Qatar’s alleged ties to Islamic extremism, and California Republican Rep. Ed Royce, reportedly announced legislation to condemn Qatar for supporting terrorism.
Two months after Royce introduced the bill, Broidy gave him a $5,400 campaign gift, the maximum amount allowed by law to gift to a congressman. The donation was a part of just under $600,000 that Broidy donated to GOP members of Congress and political committees since he began trying to target Qatar.
Nader was previously convicted of sexually abusing multiple minors in the Czech Republic. Mueller became interested in Nader after the special counsel discovered that he had attended meetings with Trump aide and son-and-law Jared Kushner before Trump became president.
Broidy also has a troubled past, as he pleaded guilty to bribery in a case that was discovered in an investment scheme using New York state’s employee pension fund years back. Broidy recently denied any wrongdoing concerning political contributions in a statement to the AP, saying he has been raising money to fight Qatar, which has been “supporting terrorist groups.”
“I’ve both raised money for, and contributed my own money to, efforts by think tanks to bring the facts into the open, since Qatar is spreading millions of dollars around Washington to whitewash its image as a terror-sponsoring state,” he said. “I’ve also spoken to like-minded members of Congress, like Royce, about how to make sure Qatar’s lobbying money does not blind lawmakers to the facts about its record in supporting terrorist groups.”
The Daily Caller News Foundation reached out to Royce’s office for a statement regarding his relationship with either Nader or Broidy but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Follow Henry Rodgers On Twitter
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.