Trump claims Don Jr. is paying back Putin-tied Russian oligarch for lavish wedding

President Donald Trump has claimed that his eldest son is paying back Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev for his lavish Bahamas wedding party. Kremlev, the head of the scandal-ridden International Boxing Association, who has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on expenses incurred at Donald Trump Jr.’s multi-day party on two private islands in May to celebrate his marriage to socialite Bettina Anderson, according to a ProPublica report published Monday. The report sparked corruption and national security concerns, with Representative Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, writing on X, “Umar Kremlev spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the President’s son. What did he get in return? We need answers.”Trump, who has disputed any personal ties with Kremlev and did not attend his son’s wedding, told reporters that Kremlev’s gift was “totally allowed,” but that his son paid the oligarch back.“Was it appropriate for your son to accept a gift — a payment for some of his wedding festivities?” one reporter asked Trump in the Oval Office Friday. President Donald Trump has claimed that his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., is paying back Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev for his lavish Bahamas wedding with socialite Bettina Anderson (Getty Images)“It's totally allowed and a lot of people have parties,” Trump replied. “But as I understand it, he paid him back.”“A person that he knows, I guess a friend of his, gave him a wedding party — that’s very common. I’ve heard of many people giving wedding parties,” the president continued. “I’ve given wedding parties to numerous people.”Kremlev reportedly paid to rent one of the private islands where the Trump family and their friends partied, which ProPublica said could cost about $100,000 a night, and other expenses such as a fireworks display with an estimated price tag of about $70,000. A spokesperson for Trump Jr. told ProPublica Kremlev was a “personal friend of Don” and that the two met through a mutual friend in the hunting community. The spokesperson added that Kremlev is “not someone [Trump Jr.] has a business relationship with.”Kremlev, the head of the scandal-ridden International Boxing Association who has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on expenses incurred at the wedding party, according to a recently published report (Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)Bettina also spoke out following the report that Kremlev bankrolled their wedding festivities. She said that she wed Trump Jr. at an inmate ceremony with only family members in attendance and called the party “a fun weekend with friends.”“Our dear friend Umar very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding. It was an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend, and something for which we were and remain incredibly grateful,” Bettina wrote in a joint statement with Trump Jr. on her Instagram earlier this week. “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,” the statement continued. “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.”Along with the statement, Bettina shared some photos, including one of herself and Trump Jr. dressed in all white on a beach as fireworks illuminated the night sky. There were also pictures of dancers dressed as sailors, a man doing a card trick and a DJ getting lost in the music. Trump, who has disputed any personal ties with Kremlev and did not attend his son’s wedding, told reporters Friday of Kremlev’s gift: ‘It's totally allowed...but as I understand it, he paid him back’ (AFP via Getty Images)Kremlev, who reportedly attended the Bahamas party, “has never discussed political matters with any of his American friends and acquaintances,” his press office told ProPublica. Representative Garcia, meanwhile, has sent a letter to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles asking for information regarding any ties between Trump Jr. and Kremlev. “As the son of President Donald Trump and the part-owner and major investor of multiple companies with extensive Department of Defense contracts, any apparent ties to members of Russian President 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 the letter. Attorney General Todd Blanche was asked by a reporter in the White House Rose Garden earlier this week whether he would investigate the matter, to which he said, “Am I investigating what?”“The president doesn't know who this person is. I think other members of the family don't know who this person is. The president's son has said he's a very close friend and that he accepted a gift in the weekend of his wedding.”