Congressional Democrats have launched an inquiry after ProPublica reported that Umar Kremlev, president of the International Boxing Association and a businessman with ties to the Russian government, paid for after-parties tied to Donald Trump Jr.'s Bahamas wedding. Representative Robert Garcia and others are seeking answers about potential expectations or influence tied to the payments. The Trumps say Kremlev was a friend who covered two after-parties; President Trump said he did not know Kremlev and called the matter "not a big deal." Senate leader Chuck Schumer warned the arrangement could raise national security and ethics concerns.
Democrats Open Probe After Report Russian Oligarch Funded Trump Jr.'s Bahamas After-Parties
FILE PHOTO: Donald Trump Jr. and his partner Bettina Anderson sit on the day U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks to U.S. embassy personnel and business leaders at Deerfield Residence, the residence of the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, in Dublin, Ireland, September 12, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper/File Photo
WASHINGTON, Sept 15 (Reuters) — Congressional Democrats have opened an inquiry after a ProPublica report that a Russian oligarch paid for lavish after-parties tied to Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding in the Bahamas in May.
The article identified the donor as Umar Kremlev, a wealthy Russian businessman and president of the International Boxing Association (IBA), and said he has close ties to the Russian government. According to the reporting, Kremlev covered hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses for the multi-day celebrations.
Representative Robert Garcia — the senior Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee — publicly questioned the payment:
'Why is a Russian oligarch and friend of Vladimir Putin financially supporting the President's son? What does Umar Kremlev expect in return for funding this three-day wedding in the Bahamas?'
Garcia said he and other House Democrats are preparing inquiries into the president, his family and related ethics questions that have arisen since the start of President Trump's second term in January 2025. Garcia would likely chair the Oversight Committee if Democrats win back the House majority in November's midterm elections.
A representative for Donald Trump Jr. declined to comment. Bettina Trump, the groom's wife, wrote on Instagram that Kremlev is a friend who gave an "extraordinarily generous wedding gift," and emphasized he paid for two after-parties rather than the wedding itself.
Kremlev and the IBA did not respond to requests for comment. The president, who did not attend his son's wedding, said he did not know Kremlev and called the controversy "not a big deal!"
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York called the reported arrangement "so corrupt, so venal, so endangering our national security." On the Senate floor he warned that gifts from foreign oligarchs can create conflicts of interest, saying, 'You're dealing with a Russian oligarch, not just a cousin who's giving you a gift... sometimes a wedding gift is a bribe from a foreign autocrat.'
Aides to Republican Representative James Comer of Kentucky, who chairs the Oversight Committee, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
This unfolding story follows reporting by ProPublica and has prompted officials on both sides of the aisle to raise questions about foreign influence, disclosure and the ethics of accepting expensive gifts or hospitality from politically connected foreign nationals.
(Reporting by Richard Cowan and Alexandra Ulmer; additional reporting by Nandita Bose; Editing by Michael Learmonth and Cynthia Osterman)
Help us improve.
