Republican lawmakers call for probe into Donald Trump Jr.'s business dealings and wedding funding

Republican Senator John Curtis of Utah is urging the Senate Judiciary Committee to launch an investigation into Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding after a recent report indicated that a Russian oligarch, Umar Kremlev, partially financed the event. Senator Curtis specifically called for subpoenas for Trump Jr., along with Hunter Biden, as part of a broader inquiry into presidential family members using their proximity to the White House for personal financial gain. Curtis stated that such an investigation is necessary to establish facts, determine if any ethics or anti-corruption laws apply, and identify needed reforms, emphasizing that there should not be different standards for the families of Republican and Democratic presidents.

The call for a probe follows a ProPublica report from last week, which revealed that Umar Kremlev, an oligarch with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on Trump Jr.'s wedding after-party in May 2026. This included expenses for renting a private island in the Bahamas, a fireworks display, and event planning. Donald Trump Jr. and his wife, Bettina Anderson, have acknowledged Kremlev's contributions, describing them as a "generous wedding gift from a friend."

While Trump Jr. and his wife maintained that Kremlev is a personal friend and the gift had no political motive, President Donald Trump later stated that his son had repaid the Russian oligarch. This development has also drawn concern from Democrats, with Representative Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, previously requesting an FBI probe into potential counterintelligence risks related to Kremlev's funding of the wedding.