Democrats probe Russian-funded wedding parties for Donald Trump's son

Congressional Democrats are investigating allegations that Russian billionaire Umar Kremlev funded lavish wedding celebrations for President Donald Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr, in the Bahamas earlier this year. Robert Garcia, the senior Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, is expected to lead the inquiry if his party secures a majority in the US House of Representatives during the November midterm elections.

The Democrat-led probe comes after a ProPublica report detailed that Kremlev, a Russian oligarch with ties to President Vladimir Putin, paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for the festivities. The president's son and his wife, Bettina Trump, have defended the $US1.8 million ($2.5 million) wedding gift, stating that Kremlev was a friend who paid for two after-parties rather than the wedding itself.

Kremlev and the International Boxing Association did not respond to requests for comment. President Trump, who did not attend the wedding, dismissed the controversy as "not a big deal!" US Attorney-General Todd Blanche also downplayed the potential conflict of interest, stating that he wouldn't investigate. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called the arrangement "so corrupt, so venal, so endangering our national security," emphasizing that the involvement of a Russian oligarch is not comparable to a typical wedding gift.