Trump vows to repay Russian oligarch who paid for his son's wedding
Photo: US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump said that his son, Donald Trump Jr., will return to Russian businessman Umar Kremlev the money he spent on the wedding celebrations, reports Reuters.
According to Trump, he asked his son about reports that a Russian businessman had paid for part of the wedding events.
"No, I'm paying it back, Dad," Trump Jr. replied, after which the US president added that he had heard from his son about his intention to return the money.
The person in question is Umar Kremlev, a wealthy Russian businessman and president of the International Boxing Association (IBA).
As ProPublica previously reported, Kremlev paid for the expenses of Trump Jr.'s wedding celebrations, which took place in the Bahamas in May. According to the media, the amount was hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Democrats launch investigation
Following the investigation, Democrats in Congress launched an investigation into the circumstances of Kremlev's financial involvement in the president's son's wedding events. Reuters notes that the reports concern the financing specifically of the wedding celebrations.
Trump previously said that he did not know Kremlev.
Kremlev paid for wedding celebrations in the Bahamas
Trump Jr. and his wife Bettina previously confirmed the Russian businessman's involvement in organizing the celebrations, which took place on a private island in the Bahamas.
They called it a generous wedding gift from a friend, emphasizing that Kremlev paid for two parties after the ceremony, rather than for the wedding itself.
A representative for Trump Jr. did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment following the president's new statement.
