House intelligence refers Erik Prince to Justice Department for probe

April 30 (UPI) -- The House intelligence committee on Tuesday asked the Department of Justice to launch an investigation into security contractor Erik Prince over allegations he lied to Congress.

Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., sent a letter to Attorney General William Barr saying special counsel Robert Mueller's report indicates Prince lied to the committee on at least six topics during a 2017 closed-door interview about Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election.

"Mr. Prince's false statements hindered the Committee's ability to fully understand and examine foreign efforts to undermine our political process and national security, develop appropriate legislative and policy remedies to counter future malign influence operations targeting campaigns and presidential transitions, and inform the American public, as appropriate," Schiff's letter said.

The false statements concern meetings the Blackwater founder and former CEO had with Kirill Dmitriev, the chief executive officer of Russia's sovereign wealth fund. Schiff also accused Prince of failing to disclose a meeting he attended at Trump Tower to discuss Iran in 2016.

Mueller's report released earlier this month documented both meetings.