Prez backer ducks Kremlin-tie queries

ERIK PRINCE, the Trump-boosting founder of defunct military contracting firm Blackwater, told members of Congress grilling him over his contacts with a Kremlin-connected banker that their meeting earlier this year was accidental, records made public Wednesday reveal.

Prince was questioned behind closed doors for nearly four hours by the House Permanent Select Intelligence Committee last week over a trip he took to the Seychelles on Jan. 11, during which he met with the head of a Russian wealth fund under U.S. sanctions. He said his meeting with banker Kirill Dmitriev was accidental.

The brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Prince denied reports he met with the banker on behalf of the Trump transition team, transcripts show.

But Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) was not persuaded. “On the details of this meeting, Prince was again less than forthcoming and sought to represent that his discussion with Dmitriev . . . was merely coincidental,” Schiff said.