Trump transition official indicted for child pornography after being a key witness in Mueller probe

George Nader was a key figure in President Donald Trump's official transition team in 2016, but now it's being revealed that he was charged with transporting child pornography.

According to the Washington Post, Nader was questioned during part of the special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference. The man worked as a liaison between Trump supporters, Middle East leaders and Russians seeking to contact the new administration. He was key in helping arrange a meeting between Blackwater founder Erik Prince and a Russian official in the Seychelles in Jan. 2017.

He was stopped while arriving at Dulles International Airport in Jan. 2018 and was served with a subpoena. According to the Justice Department, he was traveling to the U.S. from Dubai and was "in possession of a cell phone containing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct."

"Nader was convicted 28 years ago of transporting child pornography, a case in which he received a reduced sentence after influential figures argued privately to the court that he was playing a valuable role in national security affairs — trying to free U.S. hostages then held in Lebanon," reported the Post.

"This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse," the DOJ statement said.

According to mandatory minimum laws, Nader would face 15 years in prison and a maximum of 40 years if he is convicted of the crime.