Kremlin-backed Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev funded Donald Trump Jr.’s post-wedding celebrations in the Bahamas
The couple have confirmed that the billionaire, president of the International Boxing Association and an ally of Vladimir Putin, covered the bills
A Russian oligarch close to Vladimir Putin paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to cover the celebrations after the wedding of Donald Trump Jr., the U.S. president’s eldest son, last May in the Bahamas. The information, first reported by the journalists’ consortium ProPublica, has been confirmed by the couple in an Instagram post.
Donald Jr. married socialite Bettina Anderson in a lavish three-day celebration held on two exclusive private islands in the Bahamas. Much of the bill was covered by billionaire Umar Kremlev, ProPublica reports, citing interviews with three people familiar with the matter and documents reviewed by the organization in a detailed story. Specifically, the oligarch paid to rent one of the islands, available for $100,000 a night, and for a spectacular fireworks display, among other expenses. Guests stayed on the island Kremlev rented and one of the wedding receptions took place there. The guest list numbered around 50 people and included Don Jr.’s brother Eric and their brother-in-law Jared Kushner, the president’s special envoy for peace negotiations.
Kremlev was also present, ProPublica notes. The billionaire, who speaks little English, is president of the International Boxing Association (AIB), a sports organization beset by scandals that has been financed by the Russian state oil company Gazprom. Payments for the Bahamas celebrations were made through a Dubai-based entity affiliated with the AIB that the organization uses for financial transactions.
Bettina Anderson (now Bettina Trump) confirmed that the oligarch paid part of the wedding bill in a message posted her Instagram account. “Don and I got married privately on Friday, surrounded ONLY by our family.” According to her, the following weekend had already been planned months in advance as a larger gathering with friends, unrelated to the wedding. But their plans changed. “When our original wedding plans changed, we simply decided to get married before it and arrived at an already planned weekend as newlyweds,” she said.
“Our dear friend Umar very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding. It was an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend, and something for which we were and remain incredibly grateful,” the president’s daughter-in-law continued in a post that also includes images of Trump’s adult children and their friends during those celebrations. The president did not attend the ceremony or the festivities, saying his presence would complicate security arrangements and that the couple wanted an intimate ceremony.
Kremlev’s relationship with the president’s eldest son and trusted adviser “represents an extraordinary development: a member of Putin’s circle financially supporting the president’s son and gaining intimate access to the Trump family. For a decade, Putin’s government, regarded as a chief adversary of the U.S., has been accused of efforts to influence American elections. Attempts by Russia to make inroads with the Trumps before the 2016 election exploded into controversy that dogged much of the president’s first term,” ProPublica says.
In the days before the wedding, Kremlev traveled to China as part of the delegation accompanying the Russian president on an official visit, according to Chinese state media. A month earlier, Putin had awarded him the Order of Friendship medal. The billionaire is sanctioned by Ukraine, which cites the oligarch’s closeness to the Kremlin and to Russian security services.
“What did he get in return?”
“Why did a Russian oligarch close to Putin fund Trump Jr.’s wedding in the Bahamas?” asked Democratic congressman Robert García, the highest-ranking member of his party on the House Oversight Committee, on social media. “Umar Kremlev spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the President’s son. What did he get in return? We need answers.”
Frank Montoya Jr., a former senior FBI counterintelligence official, told ProPublica in similar terms: “If I’m paying for your wedding, at some point, you’re going to owe me something.” Montoya pointed out that oligarchs like Kremlev often act in coordination with the Russian government. “This should be unthinkable for the son of the president. End of story.”
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