Full List of Republicans Calling Out Donald Trump Jr. Gift from Putin Ally - Newsweek

Donald Trump Jr. is facing growing scrutiny from Republican lawmakers over a ProPublica report that Umar Kremlev, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, allegedly covered hundreds of thousands of dollars in his wedding expenses.

The ProPublica investigation reported that Kremlev, who is also the president of the International Boxing Association, paid for parts of Trump Jr.’s wedding in May to Bettina Anderson. He allegedly paid to rent a private island and a fireworks show for the couple. The report has sparked political backlash for the Trump family, with both Democratic and Republican lawmakers questioning the gift.

The Trumps are denying political motives, calling Kremlev a "dear friend."

Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment via email.

ProPublica reported that Kremlev contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to the wedding, citing records and interviews with three people familiar with the event. He paid to rent a private island, where the couple hosted a reception and housed guests, as well as paying for “big-ticket items” like a fireworks show.

His team also helped plan the event, with the payments coming from an IBA-affiliated entity in Dubai. The IBA has been financed by Gazprom, a state-owned energy entity in Russia.

Details about why he decided to help pay for the wedding have not been reported.

The report sparked criticism, as Russia has been a longtime adversary of the United States on the global stage. Trump Jr. is an influential figure in MAGA politics and has been floated as a potential 2028 presidential candidate.

Several Republicans have issued statements raising concerns about the wedding gift.

Curtis, of Utah, wrote a letter to leadership asking the Senate Judiciary Committee to launch an investigation into the Trump family relationships for alleged “private financial benefit,” that would include subpoenas to both Trump Jr. and Hunter Biden.

He said concerns are “compounded by Donald Trump Jr.’s active promotion of family-backed cryptocurrency ventures, his continued pursuit of international real estate deals involving direct meetings with foreign heads of state, and his reported investments in defense contracting.”

“These reports raise legitimate questions about foreign access to members of a sitting president's family and whether such relationships can create actual or perceived expectations of favorable treatment,” he wrote. “They also may create expectations of a returned favor that would not be in the best interests of the American people or our allies, and could even create national security vulnerabilities.”

He said 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.”

“Nor should congressional oversight begin and end when control of the White House changes hands,” he wrote.

Tillis, a North Carolina Republican who is not running for reelection, told NBC News’ Frank Thorp V that Trump Jr. should just “lay it out there.”

“How on earth did this happen? Because on its face, it looks pretty dumb. Maybe there's some sort of context that explains it, but he should be proactive there. That'd be the best way to probably avoid an investigation,” he said.

Cornyn, the Texas Republican who lost renomination in his Senate race after President Trump gave his endorsement to conservative Attorney General Ken Paxton ahead of the Republican runoff, told Punchbowl News he is in support of Curtis’ effort.

“I would support Senator Curtis’ request,” he said.

Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican who also lost his primary to a Trump-backed challenger, took issue with the gift during an interview on CBS News’ Face the Nation over the weekend.

“Repaying the funds does make a difference. Anytime someone gives a $250,000 gift and they have strong ties to the Kremlin, that's wrong,” he said. “With that proximity to power, being the president's son, you've got to give faith to the American people that Washington is not a swamp, and even though in your mind it might be a gift, the appearance of it is really bad, and so I'm glad it's been repaid.”

Murkowski told the Associated Press she is “glad” Curtis “said what he said.”

“It doesn’t make any difference if you’re Republican or Democrat, if you’re Trump or you’re Biden,” Murkowski said, according to the AP.

Bacon, a Nebraska Republican who is not running for reelection, told Newsweek he is in agreement with Curtis.

"I agree with Senator Curtis. It is unseemly to take a huge gift from a Putin ally at a time when President Trump has a hard time identifying who started this war and who is the invader," he said.

Other Republicans have pushed back on calls for an investigation.

“I couldn’t care less who throws a private citizen a wedding after-party. Subpoenas of presidential family members must pass a high bar. We can’t let the Senate become a partisan tool used to harass private citizens in pursuit of political points. Republicans must learn the lessons of the past, we can’t fall prey to Russiagate 2.0,” Senator Bernie Moreno, an Ohio Republican, wrote in a post on X.

Representative Tom Emmer, a Minnesota Republican, criticized senators in a post on X Monday who “want to waste time creating a new Russia hoax and attacking Don Jr.”

“Don Jr is a private citizen and businessman so this unwarranted attack will go nowhere. This partisan distraction is NOT what the American people voted for!” he wrote.

A spokesperson for Trump Jr. told ProPublica that Kremlev is a “personal friend” and “not someone he has a business relationship with.” The two met through a mutual friend, according to the report.

Bettina Anderson, the wife of Trump Jr., responded to the report in an Instagram post earlier in September.

"Our dear friend Umar very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding," Anderson wrote, calling it "an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend, and something for which we were and remain incredibly grateful."

She hit out at the report as “fake news” and wrote that it is “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 wrote.

Kremlev, 43, became president of the IBA in 2020, when the organization faced financial problems and corruption allegations. Under his leadership, it secured tens of millions of dollars in sponsorship from Gazprom, according to ProPublica.

By his late 20s, he had a criminal record for extortion and battery, according to the ProPublica report. He changed his name in 2010 and joined the Night Wolves biker gang, where he would eventually take a leadership role and met Alexei Rubezhnoi, who reportedly leads Putin’s security. A former IBA official told ProPublica he is “guided by Putin.”

Kremlev is also involved in the Russian sports betting industry, ProPublica reported, citing Russian media Proekt. He is also involved in an organization, Healthy Fatherland, that has faced sanctions from Ukraine over allegations it was involved in abducting Ukrainian children from occupied territories.

The International Olympic Committee in 2023 stripped the IBA of its role in organizing Olympic boxing, citing governance and transparency issues. In 2025, after Trump’s return to office, he allegedly wrote an open letter to President Trump asking him to look into their actions prior to the 2028 games in Los Angeles, according to the ProPublica report.

Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jason Lemon and Gray R. Thomas