He told Muellers office that he has focused on peripheral areas, such as Libya, Yemen, and Somalia, where the Department of Defense does not have a significant presence. Prince writes that over three years beginning in 2004, he spent a few million recruiting and organizing a team of about a dozen foreign mercenaries. These phone calls helped remind Prince that he is America, and that he is good not because America is good, but because good is America. The New York Times quoted an unnamed spokesman for Prince as saying that Prince had nothing whatsoever to do with any alleged private military operation in Libya. And its possible that all these ties are a coincidence. Edgar Prince inserted a clause in his will stipulating that Erik, the youngest of his four children, wouldnt receive any inheritance until he turned 30. President Joe Bidens plan to withdraw American military troops from Kabul by Aug. 31 as the Taliban establishes its control in Afghanistan has resulted in a rush of Afghan citizens trying to get out of the country. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. In addition, Smith tells Rolling Stone he was disturbed when, he says, the CIA told him that a key company official was affiliated with Chinese intelligence. Joan Prince Obituary (2003) - Grand Rapids, MI - Grand Rapids It is believed to be correct at the time of inputting and is presented here in good faith. In McFates view, back-to-back fiascos in Libya also fit with how some in the mercenary world view Prince. Prince has been a key part of the Hong Kong-based logistics firm since 2014. Prince likened the privatization of the war in Afghanistan to Trumps 1980s remake of Wollman Skating Rink in New Yorks Central Park, as shown in a photo of Princes presentation published by The Atlantic. You have to understand, Erik Prince says, the stresses of running a fast-growing private military contractor as well as the effects of cancer and surgery and chemotherapy [] eliminated most of the romance or intimacy between Erik and Joan. The 2016 election was a month away, and Prince was emailing and texting with Roger Stone, Trumps longtime political adviser, to find out what was going on with Wikileaks. Lots of background from this 2009 Politico piece: But there ends the princely tale. By 2003, when his wife, Joan, was dying of cancer, Prince couldnt hide his affair with the familys former nanny, Joanna Houck. The CIA gave him a codename: Hans.. Who was organizing the mission outside of Libya? Founded in 1997, Blackwater is the largest private military company in the world today. The relationship eventually soured, however, and Prince believes the Obama administration made that happen. After the invasion of Iraq, however, Blackwater grew far faster than Princes ability to manage it. Erik Prince Erik Prince, Edgars youngest child, flitted between career tracks in his early years. Both Prince and the Trump administration have denied that he was acting on behalf of the U.S. government; Bloomberg LP reported that according to people familiar with the matter, he was scouting gold investments.