Eight people were indicted Wednesday on charges of illegally funneling money into Hillary Clinton’s failed 2016 presidential campaign, as well as other left-wing causes. Among them was George Aref Nader, a key witness in Robert Mueller’s three-year investigation into now-debunked claims of Russian election interference on behalf of Donald Trump.
Nader, 60, is a businessman and lobbyist who has acted as a liaison for Middle Eastern countries including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in Washington, D.C.
Nader’s name showed up more than 100 times in the Mueller report, and he was briefly fawned over by national media for his involvement in the infamous Russia probe before his arrest in 2019 for possessing child pornography and transporting a 14-year-old boy for sex.
The lobbyist’s recent indictment on Wednesday alongside seven co-conspirators was for illegally dumping money into the Hillary Clinton campaign:
George Nader, who has for decades hobnobbed with political elites and became a key Mueller cooperator, and Allied Wallet CEO Ahmad “Andy” Khawaja are accused of sending millions to political committees and hiding Nader as its source, with Nader allegedly reporting to a Middle Eastern government on the effort.
According to Federal Election Commission records and details in the indictment, the money primarily went toward backing Clinton’s 2016 campaign efforts. Though Clinton and her affiliated campaign finance groups are unnamed in the indictment, the money primarily went to her campaign, according to a source familiar with the investigation and campaign finance records. Attorneys for the Clinton campaign, the Democratic Party, and Bill and Hillary Clinton did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday. The other conspirators are alleged to have been part of Khawaja’s donations scheme, which allowed him to exceed campaign finance limits, according to the indictment.
Nader, specifically, is accused of sending more than $3.5 million through Khawaja to political committees so they could gain access to then-candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016. “It was a purpose of the conspiracy for Nader and Khawaja to use their access to Candidate 1 to gain favor with, and potential financial support from, the government of Foreign Country A,” prosecutors wrote in the indictment. The contributions were disguised so Nader’s involvement was hidden, the Justice Department said.
At one point, Khawaja hosted a Clinton campaign fundraiser at his home featuring Bill Clinton because Khawaja had contributed almost $1 million in contributions to the campaign. He hosted other political events, too, according to the indictment.
Nader, who has child pornography charges dating back to the early 2000s, did not enter a plea in court Wednesday.
