Erik Prince, former Navy Seal and former Blackwater USA chief, who was also remotely involved in the Trump 2016 campaign, has testified to the House Intelligence Committee that the Obama administration put him under surveillance.
Adding “and that’s illegal”. Just this last week, the committee released a transcript which details Prince’s testimony. In it, he discusses a business trip to Seychelles.
As reported by Washington Times:
“What really bothers me and what I would hope the intelligence committee is doing is question why Americans that were caught up in the waves of signals intelligence, why on Earth would The Washington Post be running an article on any meeting that a private citizen, me, was having in a foreign country?” the former Navy SEAL testified.
“That’s illegal. That is a political abuse of the intelligence infrastructure. And that is really dangerous, especially as this committee and the Congress thinks about reauthorizing very wide-ranging intelligence authorities to dig into private Americans electronic communications of any sort.”
He said he was told that an Obama national security council staffer leaked the story to The Post.
The Washington Times reported on Wednesday about Obama national security aides making long, concerted efforts in public and private to damage President Trump as candidate, president-elect and president.
Mr. Prince was surveilled in the closing days of the Obama administration.
The administration opened a counter-intelligence investigation into the Trump campaign in July 2016. The FBI based it in part on a Democratic Party-funded dossier filled with unproven allegations against Trump and his people.
Mr. Prince said he had an unofficial limited role in the campaign. He submitted a few policy papers to adviser Stephen K. Bannon. He met Mr. Trump briefly at a fundraiser photo-op.
He is the brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
Mr. Prince sold his Blackwater USA security firm, which was relied on greatly by the military and diplomats overseas. He is now a global businessman and private equity firm member.
