UPDATE: 6 men charged in campaign-finance scheme w/Trump-linked lobbyist & Mueller witness Geo Nader went before federal judge today. Central figure in case, Ahmad Khawaja, is a fugitive, prosecutor James Mann said.
Earlier: politi.co/36NoF1C (1/x)
Earlier: politi.co/36NoF1C (1/x)
Scheme alleges funneling excessive donations to Clinton 2016 campaign.
Khawaja is a dual US/Lebanon citizen who was overseas when indicted in Nov., govt says. Mann said there are almost 22K pages of discovery and 6 DVDs of audio recordings related to the case. Didn't say if people wore wires or some kind of surveillance.
Nader wasn't there today. He's in jail in VA on another federal case involving child porn and sex trafficking charges. Courtroom was crowded w/defendants and defense lawyers. Judge said there was 'confusion' about whether case was under seal but it is not now 'in any respect.'
The charges don't explicitly include claims that the money involved was coming from foreign sources or governments, but it does alleged Nader was coordinating closely with senior officials in a foreign country, believed to be United Arab Emirates.
