File photo: US President Donald Trump
ProPublica reported earlier that Kremlev spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on expenses linked to the three-day Bahamas celebrations for Trump Jr and Bettina Anderson, including renting a private island and paying for a fireworks display. ProPublica reported that the men described each other as friends, while Trump Jr.’s spokesperson said Kremlev was not someone he had a business relationship with.
US President Donald Trump on Friday defended a Russian oligarch’s role in funding celebrations around his son Donald Trump Jr’s wedding in the Bahamas, saying the arrangement was “totally allowed” but that his son had told him he was paying the money back. Trump said he had previously asked his son about Umar Kremlev, a Russian businessman with close ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin, after learning about his involvement in the wedding festivities. He said, ‘No, I’m paying him back, Dad,'” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. Trump also said, “I hear he paid them back,” without providing details on whether the repayment had already been completed. The report said the payments came through a Dubai-based entity affiliated with the International Boxing Association, which Kremlev heads. And a lot of people have parties and all,” he said, adding that he had himself given wedding parties for other people.
“I asked about it. “So I heard he’s paying him. “It’s totally allowed. Trump’s comments came after the ProPublica report prompted fresh questions about the financial relationship between Kremlev and the president’s eldest son.