Top House Oversight Democrat opens investigation into Kremlev payments
Records reviewed by ProPublica and interviews with three people familiar with the events show that Umar Kremlev, a Russian oligarch close to President Vladimir Putin, secretly bankrolled much of Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding weekend in the Bahamas in May, paying to rent a private island and covering other major expenses for an event that drew about 50 guests.
The funding flowed through a Dubai entity affiliated with the International Boxing Association, which ProPublica described as a scandal-plagued sports group headed by Kremlev and financed by Russian state-owned energy company Gazprom. Ukraine has sanctioned Kremlev personally for his ties to Putin and the Russian security services. A retired FBI counterintelligence official who held senior counterintelligence roles told ProPublica: “If I’m paying for your wedding, at some point, you’re going to owe me something.”
The multi-day celebration was held across two ultra-exclusive private islands in the Exumas chain of the Bahamas, a region whose islands have been owned over the years by figures including Johnny Depp, David Copperfield, and LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault, according to ProPublica. The Friday ceremony took place on an island featured in the films “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Casino Royale.” Kremlev was not present for that Friday ceremony, which involved an even smaller guest list. A reception party was held on a second nearby island, accessible by about a ten-minute boat ride, and that island rents for around $100,000 per night. Kremlev paid for multiple nights there, ProPublica reported.
The Saturday and Sunday festivities were the events Kremlev funded. The Saturday celebration was Caribbean-themed, with a beachside DJ and a performance by a Junkanoo band, according to photos and descriptions published by outlets including Hello! magazine. Bettina Trump described that night on Instagram as “an unforgettable night of pure joy, music, sunset, and dancing barefoot in the sand, surrounded by nothing but love in paradise…It was everything we dreamed of and more… pure magic.” The Sunday reception carried a nautical theme, complete with a seafood boat buffet, an illusionist, and dancers in stilettos and sailor outfits; the couple shared their first dance to Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” Kremlev also paid for a fireworks display that the producing company typically charges around $70,000 for, ProPublica reported.
The wedding payments flowed from a Dubai entity affiliated with the International Boxing Association, the sports organization that Kremlev heads. The IBA has been financed by Gazprom, the Russian state-owned energy giant. Kremlev’s press office did not dispute the payments but said the boxing organization itself did not incur expenses for the wedding; the press office did not address the payments from the Dubai entity directly.
Kremlev’s presence at the wedding had not been confirmed publicly before ProPublica’s report. The outlet’s reporters said they identified Kremlev in an Instagram gallery posted months earlier by a swimsuit model described as a friend of the bride, Bettina Trump. The photo also showed two others associated with Kremlev, who were part of a larger group of Russians whose presence puzzled some attendees. A sunset group photo on a white sand beach shows the newlyweds in the foreground and, in the back row, the top half of a man’s shaved head that the reporters identified as Kremlev. The outlet also noted that wicker furniture visible in Telegram videos Kremlev posted the same weekend matched the islands’ promotional imagery.
Official photographs released through social media and tabloids including Page Six and Hello! magazine showed an intimate chapel ceremony alongside lavish beach parties, with guests such as Jared Kushner and Eric Trump documented in the published images, ProPublica reported. Kremlev and the others associated with him were absent from those curated releases, which ProPublica described as “all the more noteworthy” for a gathering of only about 50 people. ProPublica said the family appeared to be tightly curating the wedding’s visual record.
In a joint statement on Instagram after the publication, which included even more photos from the wedding weekend, Trump Jr. and Bettina Trump acknowledged that Kremlev paid for events on the second and third nights of the wedding weekend but distinguished those parties from the ceremony itself. “Our dear friend Umar very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding,” the couple wrote. “It was an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend, and something for which we were and remain incredibly grateful.”
In response to detailed questions from ProPublica, a spokesperson for Trump Jr. did not dispute the wedding payments from Kremlev. “Umar is a personal friend of Don,” the spokesperson said, while adding that Kremlev is “not someone he has a business relationship with.” Kremlev’s press office said in a statement that “Mr. Kremlev and Mr. Trump Jr have a friendly relationship” and that they first met “a couple of years ago.” The press office also described Kremlev as a businessman and philanthropist, adding that he “has never discussed political matters with any of his American friends and acquaintances,” including Trump Jr.
Kremlev arrived at the wedding just days after accompanying Putin in China as part of a Russian delegation, according to Chinese state media. Kremlev’s press office disputed that characterization, saying he was not part of Putin’s “official delegation” in China.
Within hours of ProPublica’s publication, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee opened an investigation into Trump Jr.’s relationship with Kremlev, asking for communications between the two and records of “all purchases made for your wedding by foreign nationals.” Trump Jr. did not respond to a request for comment on the investigation, according to ProPublica.
The outlet said it was continuing to investigate the nature of Trump Jr.’s relationship with Kremlev and how it might evolve over time.