Donald Trump Jr. and wife thank Russian oligarch for post-wedding island celebration
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Donald Trump Jr. and Bettina Trump said Russian businessman Umar Kremlev funded a two-night celebration on a Bahamian private island after their wedding, prompting questions from U.S. officials.
Donald Trump Jr. and his wife, Bettina Trump, said Russian businessman Umar Kremlev covered the costs of a two-night post-wedding celebration on a private island in the Bahamas. The event, which began a day after the ceremony, featured a fireworks display and was attended by dozens of guests, according to a ProPublica report.
The couple posted on Bettina’s Instagram that Kremlev “very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us after our wedding” and described the expense as an “extraordinarily generous wedding gift.”
President Donald Trump, who did not attend the celebration, told NBC News the after-party was “not a big deal” and said he was unfamiliar with Kremlev.
Republican Representative Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said Kremlev, who has been sanctioned by Ukraine, “spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the President’s son. What did he get in return? We need answers.”
Bettina Trump said the island trip had been planned as a “fun weekend with friends” before the wedding date changed and insisted there was no political motive behind Kremlev’s generosity.
Kremlev, president of the International Boxing Association, and Trump Jr. have previously appeared together at an IBA event in Turkey. Trump Jr. previously called Kremlev “a leader and a friend.” Kremlev’s representatives said the two are “joining forces” to promote transparency in boxing, but gave no further details.
Kremlev received a Russian Order of Friendship medal from President Vladimir Putin in April and was part of a Russian delegation that visited Beijing with Putin earlier this year.
Trump Jr. has previously faced scrutiny over meetings with individuals linked to the Kremlin during the 2016 campaign, though no charges were filed. Representatives for Kremlev and Trump Jr. did not respond to requests for comment.