A Russian oligarch’s role in Donald Trump Jr’s wedding celebrations has now sparked a call for a Senate investigation from the GOP. Republican senator John Curtis of Utah has asked the Judiciary Committee to examine whether US president Donald Trump’s son benefited financially from his proximity to the White House.Curtis, who is not a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, made the request in a letter sent on Tuesday to committee chairman Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, and the panel’s top Democrat, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin. He asked the committee to subpoena Trump Jr over his business dealings, relationships with foreign individuals and entities, gifts and other benefits he has received, and any instances in which his relationship with President Donald Trump “was invoked or understood to provide value.”Curtis also called for the same scrutiny of Hunter Biden, the son of former President Joe Biden.“The country should not have to accept one standard for the family of a Republican president and another for the family of a Democratic president,” Curtis wrote.
Curtis seeks scrutiny of Jr’s foreign ties
The request puts a Republican senator at the centre of scrutiny of Trump’s family at a time when most Republican lawmakers have largely avoided weighing in on the president’s son.Curtis, who was first elected to the Senate in 2024, has previously vowed not to shy away from disagreements with Trump. He has publicly broken with the president several times, including rejecting Trump’s calls to eliminate the Senate filibuster.His latest criticism, however, goes beyond a disagreement over policy. Curtis last Friday described the reported wedding funding as “corruption” and said he would say more about the issue in the coming days.“A Russian oligarch paid for a lavish wedding after-party for Donald Trump Jr, which to me just stinks. It’s corruption. I don’t like it,” Curtis said in a video posted on social media.Earlier on Tuesday, Curtis also referred to the Republican-led scrutiny of Hunter Biden’s foreign relationships, writing that Republicans “nearly wore out the subpoena machine investigating Hunter Biden’s foreign relationships” and that they “should not unplug it now.”
Russian oligarch helped fund wedding celebrations
The controversy follows a report by ProPublica last week that Umar Kremlev, who has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, helped pay for the rental of a private island and a fireworks show during celebrations for Trump Jr and socialite Bettina Anderson’s wedding in the Bahamas in May.Bettina Trump later addressed Kremlev’s involvement in an Instagram post signed by the couple. She described Kremlev, who is head of the International Boxing Association, as a “dear friend” who “very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding.”Though Trump did not attend his son’s wedding, he defended Kremlev’s involvement but said the money would be paid back.Curtis’ letter asks the Judiciary Committee to examine Trump Jr’s business dealings, his relationships with foreign individuals and entities, and gifts or other benefits he has received. It also seeks scrutiny of instances in which his relationship with the president “was invoked or understood to provide value.”
More facts needed
Grassley has not yet committed to an investigation. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, he said he was not yet familiar with the facts surrounding the case and would need to gather more information before deciding what action to take.“I’m going to take these requests seriously and sit down with staff and see what we can do,” Grassley said.He added that the process would take time and said, “it takes time, and if you were going to ask me when we’re going to have a hearing, there’s no way I could answer that today.”Senate majority leader John Thune, Republican of South Dakota, also declined to offer a view, saying he did not “have an observation on that.”Still, some Republican lawmakers have indicated that they would support Curtis’ request.The developments come as a few Republicans have recently shown a greater willingness to criticise Trump’s policies after largely avoiding public breaks with him during much of his second term.Meanwhile, the ongoing war in Iran, high gas prices and mounting concerns about Republican prospects in November’s midterm elections have brought increased scrutiny of the president from within his own party.
