Donald Trump Jr has repaid Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev after he reportedly spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on lavish celebrations for the businessman’s wedding in the Bahamas, his father said.
President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday: “I hear he paid him back. I understand that Don paid him back.”
Mr Trump said he had discussed the matter with his son after reports emerged about the celebrations, which included the rental of a private island and a fireworks display.
Kremlev, a Russian oligarch and international boxing figure with reported ties to Vladimir Putin, was said to have helped fund events surrounding Donald Trump Jr’s wedding to Bettina Anderson in May.
Several members of the Trump family attended, including Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, Eric Trump and Lara Trump, Tiffany Trump and her husband Michael Boulos, as well as a number of grandchildren.
A person familiar with Donald Trump Jr’s response to the controversy said he had returned the money to Kremlev.
Trump initially defended the arrangement, saying it was “totally allowed” and “very common” for people to pay for parties. The reports had prompted accusations of corruption from Democrats and criticism from some Republicans.
Senator John Curtis, a Republican from Utah, said in a social media video: “To me it just stinks. It’s corruption, I don’t like it…this is a big deal.”
Donald Trump Jr and Ms Anderson had previously defended Kremlev as a “dear friend” who had given them “an extraordinarily generous wedding gift”. Ms Anderson said it was unfortunate that a personal celebration had been portrayed as “something political or sinister simply because of who someone is or where they come from”.
Kremlev’s press office said the two men had become friends through shared interests in boxing, hunting and the outdoors.
Other members of the family sought to distance themselves from the Russian businessman. A spokeswoman for first lady Melania Trump said: “Mrs. Trump does not, and has never had, a relationship with Mr. Kremlev. Mrs. Trump played no role whatsoever in organizing the wedding event and was not privy to any aspect of its financial planning.”
Eric Trump’s spokesman also said he had no connection to Kremlev, adding: “Eric has absolutely no clue who this person is, nor has never heard his name.”
