Trump says Kremlev paid only for afterparty, not wedding
The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee has asked the White House and Donald Trump Jr. to turn over documents about a Russian oligarch who paid for portions of the president’s son’s wedding celebrations, Axios first reported.
Rep. Robert Garcia sent a letter Monday to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles requesting records and communications between the White House and Trump Jr. regarding Umar Kremlev, a Russian oligarch with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Garcia expressed concern about “any possible foreign entanglement” between the White House and Kremlev, according to the letter text.
“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 a separate letter addressed to Trump Jr., Garcia asked for all dates of communication between Trump Jr. and Kremlev, any communications Trump Jr. may have had with the White House about Kremlev, financial records of purchases made by foreign nationals, and a complete list of wedding gifts from foreign nationals.
The letters came hours after ProPublica reported that Kremlev spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on wedding celebrations for Trump Jr. and his wife, Bettina, earlier this year. On Monday, the couple confirmed Kremlev’s financial involvement in the events, according to The Guardian.
In a statement Monday, President Donald Trump said he had “no idea who Umar is, never heard of him,” and disputed that Kremlev paid for the wedding itself. “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,” Trump said. “It was an ‘afterparty’ given in their honor. Not a big deal! I was not present at the party.”
Garcia questioned the funding on X after the ProPublica report was published. “Why did a Russian oligarch close to Putin fund Trump Jr.’s wedding in the Bahamas?” Garcia wrote.
He added: “Umar Kremlev spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the President’s son. What did he get in return? We need answers.”
The Trump Jr. investigation is part of the House Oversight Committee Democrats’ larger investigation into the ways the Trump family has allegedly enriched themselves since President Donald Trump took office last year, according to The Guardian.
The Guardian reached out to Garcia’s office and the White House for further comment.