US Democrats demand answers on Trump Jr.’s ties with Russian oligarch
House Democrats have demanded that Donald Trump Jr. preserve all records, documents and communications related to his relationship with Umar Kremlev, the Russian oligarch who reportedly paid for parts of Trump Jr.’s, wedding celebrations in the Bahamas.
In letters sent to both the White House and Trump Jr., Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, also asked for any communications with the White House regarding financing or attendance at Trump’s recent wedding parties.
The letters follow a recent report in ProPublica detailing how Kremlev spent hundreds of thousands of dollars renting out a private island and the wedding’s fireworks show. POLITICO has not independently corroborated the reported payments, but Trump Jr.’s wife appeared to confirm them in a statement Monday.
“As the son of President Donald Trump and the part-owner and major investor of multiple companies with extensive Department of Defense contracts, your praise of such an ‘extraordinarily generous wedding gift’ from a member of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s inner circle raises serious questions about pay-to-play schemes and foreign intelligence infiltration of the President’s family,” Garcia wrote in his letter to the president’s son.
A spokesperson for Trump Jr. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In his letter to the White House, Garcia demanded to know if the White House was aware of Trump Jr.’s “friendly relationship” with Kremlev — and whether Kremlev’s involvement in the wedding was a factor in President Donald Trump’s decision not to attend the ceremony.
In a statement, President Donald Trump said he has “no idea who Umar is” and that he has “never heard of him, and he didn’t pay for Don and Bettina’s wedding, which took place at a totally different location, and on a different day from the wedding.”
“It was an ‘afterparty’ given in their honor. Not a big deal! I was not present at the party,” the president added.
Kremlev, who is president of the International Boxing Association, has received an Order of Friendship medal from Russian President Vladimir Putin for his “contribution to international sport and his commitment to the global boxing family.”
The Ukrainian government has sanctioned Kremlev due to his close ties to Putin and Russian security services.
The president’s eldest son married influencer and model Bettina Anderson in May at a ceremony in Palm Beach County, Fla. The two then held a private post-wedding celebration in the Bahamas with several dozen guests — including other members of the Trump family and Kremlev.
In a statement to her Instagram page, Bettina Trump said the Caribbean celebrations had “been planned well in advance as a fun weekend with friends.”
“It’s unfortunate that something so personal and happy can be recast as something political or sinister simply because of who someone is or where they come from,” Bettina Trump wrote. “Friendship doesn’t require a political motive. Generosity doesn’t automatically come with an agenda. And sometimes a wedding gift is simply a wedding gift.”
