Betsy DeVos’ Brother Established a Secret Trump-Putin Back Channel, Says Washington Post

Is This Why Trump Nominated and Supported DeVos?

Erik Prince, the infamous founder of the disgraced security company known as Blackwater, established a secret back-channel between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, according to a just-published report in The Washington Post. Prince happens to be the brother of Betsy DeVos, which might explain, at least in part, why the Trump administration was so devoted to ensuring her confirmation as Secretary of Education.

Here’s how intelligence expert Eric Garland responded to the just-published report:

“The United Arab Emirates arranged a secret meeting in January between Blackwater founder Erik Prince and a Russian close to President Vladi­mir Putin as part of an apparent effort to establish a back-channel line of communication between Moscow and President-elect Donald Trump, according to U.S., European and Arab officials,’ the Washington Post reports.

“The meeting took place around Jan. 11 — nine days before Trump’s inauguration — in the Seychelles islands in the Indian Ocean, officials said,” according to the Post. 

Citing an unnamed “Putin confidant,” the Post reports, Prince “presented himself as an unofficial envoy for Trump to high-ranking Emiratis involved in setting up his meeting.” Prince “was seen in the Trump transition offices in New York in December.” 

“Prince was an avid supporter of Trump who gave $250,000 last year to support the GOP nominee’s campaign, records show. He has ties to people in Trump’s circle, including Stephen K. Bannon, now serving as the president’s chief strategist and senior counselor. Prince’s sister Betsy DeVos serves as education secretary in the Trump administration.”

Politico’s cybersecurity reporter Eric Geller also weighed in:

Blackwater is the “security firm that became a symbol of U.S. abuses in Iraq after a series of incidents including one in 2007 in which the company’s guards were accused — and later criminally convicted — of killing civilians in a crowded Iraqi square. Prince sold the firm, which was subsequently rebranded, but has continued building a private paramilitary empire with contracts across the Middle East and Asia.”

Co-author of a NYT bestseller on ISIS:

Image by Miller Center via Flickr and a CC license