Military contractor Erik Prince has turned over his phones and computer to Robert Mueller, a representative said Monday, signaling the special counsel's interest in a backchannel Prince allegedly tried to broker between the White House and the Kremlin.
Prince, whose since-defunct Blackwater company is infamous for its role in the killing of 17 Iraqi civilians in 2007, acknowledged last week he has "cooperated" with Mueller's investigators as they continue to probe possible collusion between President Donald Trump's campaign and the Russian government.
On Monday, a spokesman for Prince confirmed he has also provided Mueller's team with "total access to his phones and computer."
"Mr. Prince has a lot of opinions about the various investigations, but there is no question that they are important and serious, and so Mr. Prince will keep his opinions to himself for now and let the investigators do their work," the spokesman told the New York Daily News. "All we will add is that much of the reporting and speculation about Mr. Prince in the media is inaccurate, and we are confident that when the investigators have finished their work, we will be able to put these distractions aside."
ABC News first reported Prince handing over his electronics to Mueller's team.
Prince, 49, traveled to the Seychelles last January and met with a Russian official with close ties to President Vladimir Putin. Prince has downplayed the nature of the sit-down, testifying before Congress in November that it was a random encounter "over a beer."
But multiple reports have cast doubt over the veracity of Prince's testimony.
U.S. and Arab officials told The Washington Post last April that the meeting, which took place nine days before Trump's inauguration, was arranged to establish a covert communication channel between the incoming administration and the Kremlin.
While Prince had no formal role in the Trump campaign or transition, he reportedly presented himself to the meeting attendants as an unofficial envoy for the White House. Prince has vehemently denied those claims.
