A top Democrat in the House is investigating Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev's involvement in an expensive event he gifted Donald Trump Jr. to celebrate his wedding after a bombshell report, raising questions about the Trump family’s financial ties to foreign figures.
Rep. Robert Garcia, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, sent letters to both White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Trump Jr. seeking records related to Kremlev and his involvement in the May celebration in the Bahamas, Axios reports.
According to the damning ProPublica report, Kremlev covered hundreds of thousands of dollars in event expenses, including one of the two private islands used for the celebration and a fireworks display. Kremlev is the president of the International Boxing Association, which receives financing from Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom, and he is known to have close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
A spokesperson for Trump Jr. did not dispute that Kremlev paid for the expenses, describing him as a personal friend of Trump Jr. but saying the two have no business relationship. Trump Jr.’s wife, Bettina Anderson, also defended the relationship, arguing that their friendship should not automatically be viewed through a political lens. Sure thing, Bettina.
The president sought to distance himself from the controversy, saying he had never heard of Kremlev and did not attend the celebration. He insisted that the event was an afterparty held at a different location and on a different day from his son’s actual wedding.
However, Garcia is seeking much more information. The Democrat's requests include communications between Trump Jr. and Kremlev, and any contact involving the White House or intelligence officials, the guest list for the celebration, records of gifts or purchases made on Trump Jr.’s behalf by foreign nationals, and information about whether Trump Jr. ever received anything of value from Kremlev in exchange for favorable treatment from the U.S. government or access to information about the administration.
Via Axios:
The oligarch paid for one of the two private islands where the event was held and a fireworks show, according to ProPublica, despite Trump Jr.'s estimated $300 million net worth.
Garcia also wants to know whether Trump Jr. has a security clearance, whether he disclosed his relationship with Kremlev to the White House, and whether the Russian businessman’s involvement played any role in President Trump’s decision not to attend the ceremony.
For now, Garcia can only request the information because Democrats are in the minority on the committee. But if Democrats regain control of the House in the next election and Garcia becomes chairman of Oversight, he would have significantly greater authority to compel testimony and documents. And that Blue Wave is most certainly coming.
Garcia framed the investigation as part of a wider examination of whether members of the Trump family are using their proximity to the president for personal financial gain, and we've all witnessed that before. He argued that any potential foreign entanglements involving people close to the president deserve scrutiny.
And the next time a MAGA sycophant sarcastically says to me, 'Russia, Russia, Russia,' I'm going to shove my boot up their rear end. I said what I said.
