Senate Republicans press for probe of Trump Jr.'s wedding gift from Russian oligarch
GOP senators including John Curtis are pushing for a Senate Judiciary investigation into a Kremlin-linked businessman's payment for parts of Donald Trump Jr.'s Bahamas wedding.
What to know
- ProPublica revealed Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev, close to Putin, paid for parts of Trump Jr.'s Bahamas wedding celebration.
- Sen. John Curtis has formally requested a Senate Judiciary Committee investigation and a subpoena of Trump Jr.
- Several other Republican senators, including Cassidy, Cornyn, and Tillis, have signaled varying degrees of support for scrutiny, an unusual break from the GOP's typical reluctance to challenge Trump-family conflicts of interest.
- Key unresolved questions include how Kremlev became close enough to fund the wedding while Eric Trump and the Attorney General claim not to know him, and whether Trump Jr. actually repaid the money as Trump has claimed.
Donald Trump Jr. President's son, groomUmar Kremlev Russian oligarch close to Putin
John Curtis U.S. Senator (R-Utah)
Bill Cassidy U.S. Senator (R-Louisiana)
Eric Trump President's son, Trump Jr.'s brother and business partner
Todd Blanche U.S. Attorney General
How it unfolded 3 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts
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Curtis says he speaks for quieter GOP concerns
Curtis said Wednesday that other Republicans, both colleagues and constituents, privately share his concerns about the arrangement.
“responsibility to say what others are thinking…”
— Sen. John Curtis -
No shit. As it turns out, the key to getting away with massive fraud is to do it right out in the open. If you don’t hide it, it’s like nobody even notices.
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More GOP senators signal openness to a Trump Jr. probe
Three additional Senate Republicans, including Cornyn and Tillis, signaled varying degrees of support for investigating the matter, though Tillis cited a limited pre-midterm Senate calendar as an obstacle.
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# CNN # News Trump has skirted concerns about corruption. Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding could change that.
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Observers say GOP's protective wall around Trump is cracking
Commentary framed the emerging Republican senator criticism as a break in the party's usual reluctance to challenge Trump-family conflicts of interest.
“GOP corruption cordon breaking over Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding.”
— @mattgertz.bsky.social -
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GOP corruption cordon breaking over Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding.
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Curtis formally requests Senate Judiciary probe and subpoena of Trump Jr. — Sen. Curtis sent a letter requesting a Senate Judiciary Committee investigation into the wedding gift and a subpoena for Donald Trump Jr., also calling for renewed scrutiny of Hunter Biden.
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Sen. Cassidy calls the gift "wrong" on CBS — Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana told CBS's 'Face the Nation' that the gift was improper, though he later indicated he was somewhat mollified by Trump's claim that Trump Jr. had repaid Kremlev.
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Sen. Curtis calls the wedding gift "corruption" — Sen. John Curtis of Utah was the first Senate Republican to publicly label the Kremlev payment arrangement as corruption.
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Eric Trump and AG Blanche deny knowing Kremlev — A spokesperson for Eric Trump and Attorney General Todd Blanche both said they were unfamiliar with Kremlev, raising questions about how the oligarch became close enough to Trump Jr. to fund his wedding.
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Trump Jr. and wife confirm and defend the arrangement — Trump Jr.'s wife issued a statement, made jointly with Trump Jr., confirming Kremlev hosted parts of the wedding celebration while downplaying any impropriety.
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ProPublica reports Russian oligarch funded Trump Jr.'s wedding events — ProPublica reported that Umar Kremlev, a Russian oligarch close to Vladimir Putin, paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses for parts of Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding celebration in the Bahamas in May.