REUTERS/Larry Downing
Blackwater founder Erik Prince is hosting a fundraiser for “Russia-friendly” congressman Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), according to CNN. Prince is under scrutiny by Special Counsel Robert Mueller for a 2017 meeting in the Seychelles islands with Russian banker Kirill Dmitriev and Emirati officials. The fundraiser is slated for March 18th at Prince’s home in Virginia, with Representatives Tom Garrett Jr. (R-GA) and Dave Brat (R-VA) expected to attend, along with Lt. Colonel Oliver North, CNN reported. The tickets are $1,000 for the main reception, and VIP tickets that include an event beforehand are $2,700. Prince and Rohrabacher are political allies. The Blackwater founder was once an intern in Rohrabacher’s office, and the congressman defended Prince when he was the subject of congressional scrutiny during the Bush administration. During a House Intelligence Committee hearing in November, Prince denied trying to set up a Russian backchannel during the Seychelles meeting. Rohrabacher was privately interviewed by House intel in December.