President Donald Trump has said his son paid back a Russian oligarch with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin for hosting post-wedding festivities in the Bahamas.
Asked in the Oval Office about Umar Kremlev’s involvement in Donald Trump Jr’s celebrations, Trump said it is “totally allowed” and that it is “very common” to give wedding parties for others.
After an investigation said Kremlev paid “hundreds of thousands of dollars”, the couple confirmed he partially funded two nights of their three-day festivities on a private island as a gift.
Trump did not say how he knew the Putin ally was paid back. The BBC has not verified payment was made and has contacted Trump Jr.
Trump Jr, the president’s eldest son, is a private citizen, so it is not illegal for him to accept gifts from a foreign national.
But ethics watchdog groups have said that the president’s son accepting an expensive gift from someone associated with a foreign head of state presents the appearance of a conflict of interest – even if Trump Jr is not a US government employee.
President Trump’s ties to Russia have raised questions since his 2016 campaign, and led to a special counsel investigation into a meeting attended by Trump Jr with a Russian operative at Trump Tower.
Kremlev runs the International Boxing Association (IBA), which is funded by the state-backed Gazprom energy company. The organisation was suspended by the Olympic Committee in part over its failure to report its ties to the Russian energy giant.
Kremlev was also a member of a delegation that visited China with Putin in May. He has been given the Order of Friendship, a top state honour, by the Russian president, according to ProPublica, which published the investigation about the wedding events.
Trump Jr’s spokesperson told the news outlet that the president’s son and Kremlev were personal friends and did not have “a business relationship”.
Kremlev’s office told ProPublica that he and Trump Jr met a few years ago and “have a friendly relationship”.
By BBC News
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