Counsel investigates reports that UAE attempted to influence US policy

The Abu Dhabi ambassador in the United States has refused to comment on US media reports that the UAE tried to buy political influence in the US administration.

George Nader, the Lebanese-American businessman and adviser to the ruler of the UAE, has become one of the main focuses of the investigation by US Special Counsel Robert Mueller. In recent weeks Mueller has questioned Nader about “possible attempts by the Emirates to buy political influence by directing money to support Mr Trump during the presidential campaign”.

The extent to which this line of investigation is connected to the original investigation into the communication between the Trump campaign and Russia is still unclear.

The New York Times revealed that Nader, 58, made repeated visits to the White House in the first months of the Trump administration. He met Steve Bannon and Jared Kushner to discuss US policy towards the Gulf States prior to Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia in May 2017.

The US newspaper revealed that last autumn Nader received a detailed report from Elliott Broidy, a Republican fundraiser, about attempts to implement policies in the US in favour of the UAE.

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