Trump: Don Jr. Repaid Russian Oligarch's Wedding Gift
Trump: Don Jr. Repaid Russian Oligarch's Wedding Gift
The News
President Trump said Friday that his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., has paid back the Russian businessman who bankrolled his lavish wedding celebrations earlier this year.
Asked in the Oval Office whether it was appropriate for his son to accept the gift from Umar Kremlev — a businessman with ties to Vladimir Putin — Trump said he had put the question to Trump Jr. directly and was told: "No, I'm paying it back, Dad."
Trump also acknowledged his son may not have run a background check on Kremlev before accepting the money.
Whether the money has actually been repaid, and how much, has not been confirmed. Reuters reported Trump's account as his son telling him he would pay Kremlev back.
What Kremlev Paid For
Kremlev spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on two days of post-wedding celebrations in the Bahamas, covering a private-island rental, the reception and fireworks, according to the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post.
Timeline
Donald Trump Jr. marries, and Umar Kremlev funds two days of post-wedding festivities in the Bahamas at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
President Trump said he did not know Kremlev.
Democrats in Congress open an investigation into the payments, citing ethics concerns and the potential for foreign influence.
Trump tells reporters in the Oval Office that his son told him he is paying Kremlev back, and says Trump Jr. "didn't do a background check."
Reactions
Trump defended his son in the Oval Office, recounting the exchange in which Trump Jr. told him, "No, I'm paying it back, Dad," while conceding his son may not have vetted who was writing the checks.
Congressional Democrats treated the original payments as an ethics problem serious enough to investigate, pointing to the risk of influence by a foreign adversary.
A representative for Donald Trump Jr. had not responded to requests for comment as of Friday, and no reimbursement amount has been disclosed. One anonymous source told the New York Post that Kremlev had already been repaid, without specifying a figure.
What's Next
The congressional investigation into the payments remains open.
The open questions: whether Trump Jr. has formally repaid Kremlev, for what amount, and what documentation exists to show it. Trump's account rests on a conversation with his son.
More
Kremlev is the president of the International Boxing Association and a close ally of Putin, which is why the gift drew scrutiny in Washington rather than being treated as a private family matter.
Poll
Should Donald Trump Jr. have accepted the wedding gift from a Putin-allied businessman?
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