Democrats in the U.S. Congress launched an investigation this week following reports that a Russian oligarch paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for the wedding celebrations of President Donald Trump's son earlier this year. Reuters reports, UNN writes.
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The Democrats' move came immediately after a ProPublica article reported that Umar Kremlev, a wealthy Russian businessman and president of the International Boxing Association, paid for the wedding celebrations of Donald Trump Jr. in the Bahamas in May.
The report states that Kremlev has close ties to the Russian government.
Why is a Russian oligarch and friend of Vladimir Putin financially supporting the president's son? What does Umar Kremlev expect in return for financing this three-day wedding in the Bahamas
Garcia is the senior Democrat on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and is expected to chair the committee if Democrats win a majority in the House of Representatives in the November midterm elections.
A representative for Donald Trump Jr. declined to comment.
His wife, Bettina Trump, said in an Instagram post on Monday that Kremlev is a friend who gave an "extraordinarily generous wedding gift," emphasizing that Kremlev paid for two after-parties, not the wedding itself.
Kremlev and the IBA did not respond to requests for comment.
Trump Jr. officially married ahead of Bahamas wedding - media23.05.26, 19:30
U.S. President Trump, who did not attend his son's wedding, said in a statement that he did not know Kremlev and that the controversy surrounding the wedding was — "nothing serious!"
Aides to Republican Congressman James Comer of Kentucky, who chairs the committee, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Garcia and other leading House Democrats are already preparing investigations into Trump, his family, and ethical issues that have arisen since the beginning of the president's second term in January 2025.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York called the wedding arrangement "so corrupt, so for sale, and so threatening to our national security" on Tuesday.