New reporting from ProPublica has revealed that a Russian Oligarch with deep ties to President Vladimir Putin paid for the wedding after-party of President Donald Trump’s son.
U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, D-CT, called it “corruption in plain view.”
Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding to Bettina Trump on a private island in the Bahamas in May was a lavish, three-day celebration costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. Major parts of it, including the fee to rent the island and a fireworks show, were paid for by a Russian oligarch named Umar Kremlev.
“He is a convicted criminal,” Murphy said of Kremlev. “He runs a boxing company that is funded by Putin, more specifically by Gazprom, Putin’s state-run gas company. He isn’t just some ordinary oligarch. He’s one of Putin’s favorites.”
The newlyweds defended the spending in a social media post on Monday. They said the “fun weekend with friends” had been planned before they decided to get married that Friday, so they made it part of their wedding celebrations.
“Our dear friend Umar very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding,” the couple posted. “It’s unfortunate that something so personal and happy can be recast as something political or sinister simply because of who someone is or where they come from.
“Friendship doesn’t require a political motive,” they continued.
Murphy, however, didn’t seem to buy it
“Putin doesn’t pay for a wedding just to be nice,” Murphy said. “This is an arrangement in plain sight.”
Murphy’s 11-minute speech on the Senate floor is the latest in a long list of commentary he’s provided on business dealings with the Trump White House, including their crypto ventures and the ballroom.
In Tuesday’s speech, Murphy accused Trump of souring on support for Ukraine in favor of Russia as part of the “arrangement.”
“Trump has become one of Putin’s most important allies, and so, like everything else in Trump’s corrupt world, in his second term, it just becomes this mutually beneficial deal,” Murphy said. “Trump withholds support for Ukraine, pads the pocket of the Russian governments with sanctions relief, and the Russians funnel money to the family. Doesn’t everybody see this?”
Connecticut’s federal delegation, including U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal and U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro, has been among the most outspoken allies of Ukraine in Congress.