Don Jr’s Bahamas wedding that Trump skipped was bankrolled by Putin-tied Russian oligarch: report

A Russian oligarch closely tied to Vladimir Putin bankrolled Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding to Bettina Anderson, whose three-day weekend nuptials in the Bahamas cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Umar Kremlev — the head of the International Boxing Association, which has a controversial, long-standing financial relationship to Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom — helped funnel money into the wedding to foot the bill for a fireworks show and for one of two private islands, where a reception was held and where guests slept, according to records reviewed by ProPublica.

Those payments reportedly came from an entity tied to an International Boxing Association entity in Dubai that the organization uses for financial transactions.

Approached for comment, the White House directed The Independent to Anderson’s personal Instagram post addressing ProPublica’s report. “Apparently our wedding is making headlines again, so a little clarity seems in order,” she wrote in a caption along with a carousel of images showing Trump family figures celebrating at the event.

“Our dear friend Umar very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding,” she wrote. “It was an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend, and something for which we were and remain incredibly grateful.”

She dismissed the reporting as “fake news” and said “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. Generosity doesn’t automatically come with an agenda. And sometimes a wedding gift is simply a wedding gift,” she added. “We are fortunate to have wonderful friends from all over the world, and we will never be embarrassed or apologetic about being grateful for them.”

Kremlev’s previously unreported relationship with the president’s oldest son appears to mark an explicit attempt from a member of Putin’s inner circle to gain access to the Trump family, efforts that Trump and his allies have repeatedly characterized as a false narrative promoted by their Democratic opponents who accused the Russian regime of trying to influence the Trump campaign and American elections.

ProPublica’s latest reporting is now drawing demands from members of Congress for urgent investigations into alleged corruption and the Trump family's relationship with a chief U.S. adversary.

“Why did a Russian oligarch close to Putin fund Trump Jr.’s wedding in the Bahamas?” asked Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee.

“Umar Kremlev spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the President’s son,” he wrote Monday. “What did he get in return? We need answers.”

It’s not the first time the president’s oldest son has been accused of fostering ties with the Kremlin.

In 2016, Donald Trump Jr. had arranged a meeting at Trump Tower with a Kremlin-connected lawyer, along with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and then-campaign manager Paul Manafort amid discussions about potentially politically damaging information aboutHillary Clinton.

Trump Jr. has also repeatedly criticized U.S. financial and military support for Ukraine during Russia’s assault and has publicly accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of prolonging the war.

His wedding only had a guest list of roughly 50 people, including Trump Jr.’s brother Eric and brother-in-law Jared Kushner — as well as Kremlev, whose presence with a large group of other Russian figures confused other attendees, according to ProPublica.

None of them appear in any of the many photos and videos of the wedding weekend posted by the couple on social media. The top of Kremlev’s face can barely be seen in a large group photo of the wedding guests, standing a few rows behind Trump Jr.

The president skipped the wedding altogether.

After telling reporters he was going to “try to make” the ceremony, Trump said it was “not good timing” because of the Iran war. The president wrote on Truth Social in May that “circumstances pertaining to Government, and my love for the United States of America, do not allow me to do so.”

In the days leading up to the wedding, Kremlev traveled to China as part of a delegation accompanying Putin, according to Chinese state media. One month earlier, Putin awarded Kremlev with a state honor, the Order of Friendship.

Kremlev — who reportedly changed his name after criminal convictions for extortion and battery — quickly rose through the ranks of the scandal-plagued International Boxing Association despite no apparent experience. He is also facing sanctions over his alleged role in a program tied to abductions of Ukrainian children from occupied territories.

“Umar is guided by Putin,” who has used the boxing organization “for soft political power,” a former IBA board member told ProPublica. “It’s geopolitics. That it’s boxing is just happenstance,” the person added.

It’s unclear why Kremlev would need to have helped pay for Trump Jr.’s wedding; the president’s oldest son has a net worth of roughly $300 million, according to Forbes.

“If I’m paying for your wedding, at some point, you’re going to owe me something,” Frank Montoya Jr., a retired FBI official who held senior counterintelligence roles, told ProPublica.

“This should be unthinkable for the son of the president. End of story,” he said.

Holden Triplett, who served as Trump’s counterintelligence director on the National Security Council during his first term and worked for the FBI in Moscow, said “money is a tried-and-true method to gain access.”

In response to questions from ProPublica, a spokesperson for Trump Jr. did not dispute the wedding payments from Kremlev, described as a “personal friend of Don” who met Kremlev through a mutual friend while hunting.

Kremlev is “not someone he has a business relationship with.”

A spokesperson for Eric Trump, however, said he has “absolutely no clue who this person is, nor has never heard his name.”

In a statement, Kremlev’s press office said Kremlev and Trump Jr “have a friendly relationship.”

“Mr. Kremlev has never discussed political matters with any of his American friends and acquaintances,” the statement said.