Russian businessman Umar Kremlev
Russian businessman Umar Kremlev, who is reportedly close to President Vladimir Putin, funded the after-party for US President Donald Trump Jr’s wedding in the Bahamas, the Financial Times reported. ProPublica, which first reported Kremlev’s involvement, said he spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the wedding weekend. Earlier reporting noted: ProPublica, a nonprofit investigative website, reported earlier Monday that the wedding between Trump Jr. and socialite Bettina Anderson in the Bahamas was heavily funded by Kremlev, a Russian oligarch who heads the International Boxing Association.
The couple called it “an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend” and said they were “incredibly grateful”. He has presented Putin with a diamond boxing glove and later received the Order of Merit to the Fatherland from the Russian president, according to the Financial Times. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said: “Umar Kremlev spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the president’s son. ProPublica reported that Kremlev “footed the bill for hundreds of thousands of dollars of wedding expenses,” including paying to rent out one of two private islands where the three-day party was held and a fireworks show. Earlier reporting noted: In the post, Bettina Trump said that she and the president’s son were married in a private ceremony “surrounded ONLY by our family,”
Kremlev, who heads the International Boxing Association, has reportedly close ties to Putin. Kremlev has also been a member of the Russian nationalist biker group Night Wolves. The revelation has raised questions in Washington. What did he get in return? We need answers.
Earlier reporting noted: Donald Trump Jr.’s new wife, Bettina, is confirming that her May wedding weekend celebration was partially funded by a man with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.