“[T]he last Russia hoax cost this country years of progress. We are not doing it again over a private citizen's wedding. … Don Jr. is a businessman, not an administration official. There is no evidence he sold access to the presidency.
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A Putin-Allied Russian Oligarch Paid for Donald Trump Jr.'s Island Wedding Celebration — the Couple Call It "an Extraordinarily Generous Wedding Gift From a Friend," the President Says "Not a Big Deal!," and Chris Murphy Tells the Senate "Never Before Has a Foreign Enemy of the United States Paid for the Family Wedding of the President"
September 15, 2026
On September 14, 2026, ProPublica reported that Umar Kremlev — a Russian oligarch close to Vladimir Putin, secretary general of the International Boxing Association, whose boxing operations are financed by the state energy giant Gazprom — paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses for Donald Trump Jr.'s May 2026 wedding festivities in the Bahamas. According to the report, Kremlev's organization rented a private island for the roughly 50-guest post-wedding celebration at about $100,000 a night, paid an estimated $70,000 for a fireworks show and helped plan the event. Kremlev and a Russian delegation attended; so did Jared Kushner, who is helping lead U.S. negotiations with Russia over the war in Ukraine. President Trump did not attend. Hours after the report, Bettina Trump confirmed on Instagram that Kremlev "very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations" as "an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend," writing that "friendship doesn't require a political motive." A spokesperson for Trump Jr. said "Umar is a personal friend of Don." President Trump said he had "no idea who Umar is" and called the party "Not a big deal!" Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) called it "naked corruption in plain view" on the Senate floor that evening. On September 15, Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, sent Trump Jr. a letter demanding he preserve all records of his relationship with Kremlev and any White House communications about the celebration, writing that the reporting "may be the most serious allegation against you to date."
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18 Statements
“I agree with Senator Curtis. It is unseemly to take a huge gift from a Putin ally at a time when President Trump has a hard time identifying who started this war and who is the invader.
“If I were Donald Trump Jr. I'd be offering this up immediately. Just lay it out there. Maybe there's some sort of context that explains it, but he should be proactive there.
“Senator Curtis has made a good faith request that the Senate Judiciary Committee investigate the lavish gift of a Russian oligarch to President Trump's son. For the Committee to ignore this matter is to run the risk of being complicit in a coverup. I will join in supporting Senator Curtis' request.
“I'm going to take these requests seriously and sit down with staff and see what we can do. … It takes time, and if you were going to ask me when we're going to have a hearing, there's no way I could answer that today.
“[Tillis said the wedding celebration showed] colossally bad judgment at best[, and said he was open to supporting a probe.]
“I'm glad he said what he said. … It doesn't make any difference if you're Republican or Democrat, if you're Trump or you're Biden.
“I would support Sen. Curtis's request. [Cornyn added that Chairman Grassley wants to do his due diligence.]
“I couldn't care less who throws a private citizen a wedding after-party. … Subpoenas of presidential family members must pass a high bar. We can't let the Senate become a partisan tool used to harass private citizens in pursuit of political points. Republicans must learn the lessons of the past, we can't fall prey to Russiagate 2.0.
“A toaster is a wedding gift. A private-island party paid for by a Putin-connected oligarch is something else. … Republicans nearly wore out the subpoena machine investigating Hunter Biden's foreign relationships. We should not unplug it now. [In a letter to Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley and ranking member Dick Durbin, Curtis asked the committee to] launch an investigation into the use of presidential family relationships for private financial benefit, preferential treatment, or access by domestic and foreign interests, [and to subpoena Donald Trump Jr. and Hunter Biden, writing that] the country should not have to accept one standard for the family of a Republican president and another for the family of a Democratic president.
“Repaying the funds does make a difference. Anytime someone gives a $250,000 gift and they have strong ties to the Kremlin, that's- that's wrong. … [W]ith that proximity to power, being the president's son, you've got to give faith to the American people that Washington is not a swamp.
“President Trump doesn't know who this person is. I think other members of the family don't know who this person is. … When you say am I investigating -- Am I investigating what?
“A Russian oligarch with close ties to Putin footed the bill for hundreds of thousands of dollars in wedding expenses for Donald Trump Jr. … [Trump Jr. says] "Sometimes a wedding gift is simply a wedding gift." … Sometimes a wedding gift is a bribe from a foreign autocrat. … What he was really buying was not to have a good time at a wedding, but access to the Trump family.
“I mean, as we've seen, these guys are in the pocket of everyone but the American people. … I said it two years ago and I'm saying it again, this administration, they are selling out every single person in this country for a buck. And for what? To have a couple of extra frills at your wedding?
“A Russian oligarch with close ties to Vladimir Putin spent hundreds of thousands of dollars bankrolling Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding. It's baffling that the son of a President would even think about allowing a Russian oligarch to bankroll his wedding. Is this why President Trump skipped his son's wedding? Oversight Democrats are investigating and demanding answers immediately.
“I have no idea who Umar is, 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.
“This was a Russian party organized and paid for by someone in Vladimir Putin's inner circle. … Never before has a foreign enemy of the United States paid for the family wedding of the president. [It is] naked corruption in plain view.
“[Umar Kremlev] spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the President's son. What did he get in return? We need answers.