Trump confirms son repaid Russian wedding fund, but unusual GOP move brings case back to center

WASHINGTON, DC: Days after President Donald Trump said his eldest son had repaid a Russian oligarch who helped fund his wedding celebrations, a Republican senator is calling for Donald Trump Jr to face congressional scrutiny over the controversy.

ProPublica reported that Russian oligarch, Umar Kremlev, spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on expenses connected to Trump Jr and Bettina Trump’s three-day Bahamas wedding festivities.

GOP Senator wants Senate Committee to subpoena Don Jr

Senator John Curtis of Utah has asked the Senate Judiciary Committee to investigate whether members of presidential families have benefited financially from their connections and urged the panel to subpoena both Trump Jr and former President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden.

Curtis wrote a letter to the Committee to review the matter, writing that it is an essential move toward restoring trust in the government.

“I therefore respectfully request that the Senate Judiciary Committee launch an investigation into the use of presidential family relationships for private financial benefit, preferential treatment, or access by domestic and foreign interests,” Curtis wrote in a letter to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley and ranking member Dick Durbin.

The call for investigation marks a rare occasion where a Republican demands a probe into Trump’s family business dealings.

“As part of that investigation, I urge the Committee to subpoena Donald Trump Jr and Hunter Biden to testify regarding their past business dealings, relationships with foreign individuals and entities, gifts, or other benefits they have received, and any instances in which their relationship to the President was invoked or understood to provide value,” he added.

Bill Cassidy says wedding gift shouldn't have been accepted

Appearing on CBS News’ ‘Face the Nation,’ the outgoing GOP Senator Bill Cassidy talked about the controversial wedding funding.

President Trump claimed Friday that his son has now repaid a Russian billionaire named Umar Kremlev.

Cassidy said repaying the money made a difference, but argued that accepting such a large gift from someone with strong ties to the Kremlin was wrong given Trump Jr’s proximity to the presidency. He said that even if it was considered a gift, “the appearance of it is really bad,” adding that he was glad it had reportedly been repaid but would like to see that repayment verified. Cassidy maintained that accepting the money “shouldn't have been done in the first place.”

While he appreciated the repayment move, Cassidy explicitly maintained that receiving money “shouldn't have been done in the first place.”

Donald Jr's wedding controversy

ProPublica first reported that the Caribbean-set wedding was heavily funded by Kremlev, who has ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Kremlev was also among the roughly 50 people who attended the private ceremony.

However, Bettina fired back against the report with a long post on her Instagram account on Monday, September 14.

“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,” she wrote in the post.

Trump said Friday that, as he understood it, his son had repaid Kremlev. However, publicly available reporting has not established the repayment independently; ABC News reported that neither the president nor the Trump Organization had provided evidence supporting the claim.