Al-Jazeera's Mehdi Hasan's follow up questions reveal Erik Prince's lie to Congressional Intelligence Committee
Erik Prince: “I don't know if they got the transcript wrong”
Written by Media Matters Staff
Published
From the March 8 edition of Al-Jazeera's Head to Head:
MEHDI HASAN (HOST): You've been questioned by special counsel Robert Mueller over the Russia-gate investigation, he has looked at your laptop and your phones I believe. You've also testified to Congress in November 2017 you told Congress, under oath, that you played quote “no official or really unofficial role in the Trump campaign.” What you didn't tell Congress is that on August 3rd, 2016 you were at a meeting during the campaign at Trump Tower with Don Jr., Trump's son, with Stephen Miller, then a campaign advisor to Trump, with George Nader, a former Blackwater colleague of yours, who acts as a backchannel to the Saudis and Emiratis, he also happens to be a convicted pedophile, and also Joel Zamel, an Israeli expert on social media manipulation. How come you didn't mention that meeting to Congress, given it is so relevant to their investigation?
ERIK PRINCE (FOUNDER AND FORMER CEO OF BLACKWATER): Uh--I did. It was part of the investigations, I certainly uh disclosed any uh-- any meetings, uh the very, very few I had--
HASAN: Not in the congressional testimony you gave to the House, we went through it you didn't mention anything about August 2016 meeting in Trump Tower. They specifically asked you what contacts you had and you didn't answer that.
PRINCE: Uh-- I don't believe I was asked that question.
HASAN: You were asked “whether any communi-- any formal communications or contacts with the campaign,” you said “apart from writing papers, putting up yard signs, no.” That's what you said, I've got the transcript to the conversation here.
PRINCE: Sure, I might have been--I think I was at Trump headquarters or the campaign headquarters--
HASAN: Trump Tower, August 3rd, 2016.
PRINCE: Possible.
HASAN: You, an Israeli dude, a backchannel to the Emiratis and the Saudis, Don Jr. Stephen Miller.
PRINCE: We were there to talk about Iran policy.
HASAN: You were there to talk about Iran policy?
PRINCE: Mmm-hm.
HASAN: Don't you think that's something important to disclose to the House Intelligence committee while you are under oath?
PRINCE: I did.
HASAN: You didn't we just went through the testimony. There's no mention of the Trump Tower Meeting August 2016, why not?
PRINCE: I don't know if they got the transcript wrong.
HASAN: Oh, they got the transcript wrong? So we--
PRINCE: I don't know, I remember--I remember certainly discussing--
HASAN: I mean this is a problem for you because we know that Robert Mueller, he hasn't been able to establish collusion yet, but he has got a lot of guys for lying to the authorities and not telling the whole truth. Is that a problem now, that even if you accidentally didn't tell them that could come back and haunt you?
PRINCE: I fully cooperated and I haven't heard from anybody in more than 9 months.
Previously:
Sean Hannity justifies keeping Mueller report hidden from the public
Trump’s Fox propagandists are trying to scuttle the bill to protect Mueller