Key facts
- House Democrats are investigating Donald Trump Jr.'s ties to Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev.
- Rep. Robert Garcia is probing Kremlev's financial support for Trump Jr.'s wedding after-parties.
- Garcia requested White House records on Trump Jr.'s relationship with Kremlev.
- Bettina Trump confirmed Kremlev paid for two after-parties as a wedding gift.
- Kremlev has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and has been sanctioned by Ukraine.
Democrats in the U.S. Congress have launched an investigation into reports that Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for wedding celebrations for Donald Trump Jr. earlier this year. Representative Robert Garcia, a leading Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, questioned the nature of the financial support, asking why a Russian oligarch and friend of Vladimir Putin would fund the festivities and what Kremlev might expect in return.
Bettina Trump, Donald Trump Jr.'s wife, confirmed on Instagram that Kremlev, described as a friend, had provided an "extraordinarily generous wedding gift" that covered two after-parties, not the wedding itself. Kremlev is the president of the International Boxing Association and reportedly has close ties to the Russian government. The Ukrainian government has sanctioned Kremlev due to his connections to Putin and Russian security services.
President Donald Trump stated that he does not know Kremlev and described the controversy as "not a big deal," adding that the event was an "afterparty" at a different location and day than the wedding itself, and that he did not attend. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called the arrangement "so corrupt, so venal, so endangering our national security," suggesting a wedding gift from a foreign autocrat could be a bribe.