Trump says son told him he’ll repay Russian oligarch for wedding parties

On Friday, US President Donald Trump stated that his son, Donald Trump Jr., had told him his intention to repay a Russian oligarch, Umar Kremlev, for the expenses of his wedding celebrations in the Bahamas in May. This revelation came amid an investigation launched by Democrats in the US Congress into the matter. ProPublica, the news outlet that initially reported on Kremlev's involvement, stated that he has close ties to the Russian government.

Kremlev, the president of the International Boxing Association, reportedly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for the wedding festivities. Trump told reporters that his son had responded to inquiries about the report by saying, "No, I'm paying it back, Dad." This statement was made "a while ago." A person familiar with the situation confirmed that Don Trump Jr. planned to reimburse Kremlev.

Kremlev and the IBA did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday. While the president did not attend his son's wedding, he had previously stated that he does not know Kremlev and that the controversy surrounding the wedding is "not a big deal." Trump had also mentioned in a statement earlier in the week that he has given wedding parties to numerous people at beautiful locations like his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida.

He added, "They get married, I give them a party." Regarding the issue at hand, Trump stated on Friday that he understood Don Trump Jr. had paid Kremlev back. Don Trump Jr.'s wife, Bettina Trump, in a social media post on Monday, called Kremlev a friend who extended an "extraordinarily generous wedding gift," stressing that Kremlev paid for two after-parties, not the wedding itself.