Trump family repays $250K Russian wedding gift, but GOP senator flags lingering damage

WASHINGTON, DC: The Russia controversy surrounding Donald Trump Jr’s wedding is not over. GOP Sen Bill Cassidy called out the “appearance” created by the $250,000 wedding gift, arguing that the damage remains even through the money has now reportedly been repaid.

Controversy erupted after a report revealed that Donald Trump junior’s wedding to Bettina Anderson (now Trump) was funded by an oligarch with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Umar Kremlev reportedly hosted two nights of celebration for the couple after their wedding.

Bill Cassidy says damage remains even after repayment

Appearing on CBS News’ ‘Face the Nation’, the outgoing GOP Senator Bill Cassidy talked about the controversial funding of Trump's first son’s wedding.

President Trump claimed on Friday that his son has now repaid a Russian billionaire named Umar Kremlev, after it was reported that the Kremlin-linked billionaire paid for parts of his son's wedding celebrations in the Bahamas.

Don Jr called the wedding funding a gift, but Republican Senator Curtis from Utah branded the development as corruption.

Host Margaret Brennan asked the Louisiana senator if he also thinks that it was corruption, and asked: “Does repaying the funds make a difference?”

Bill Cassidy acknowledged that repaying the money does make a difference and somewhat proves that “Washington is not a swamp.”

He argued that while he could have received it as a gift, the “appearance of it is really bad.” Hence, he was happy that the money was paid back.

“Anytime someone gives a $250,000 gift, and they have strong ties to the Kremlin, that's- that's wrong. You- 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,” Cassidy said.

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

Kremlin-connected funding of Don Jr's wedding ignited controversy

ProPublica first reported that the Caribbean-set wedding was heavily funded by Kremlev, who has ties to 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 on Friday, September 18, said his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, had repaid Russian businessman Umar Kremlev.

Trump said, “But as I understand it, he paid him back. He didn’t want to have that, so I hear he paid him back.”

A source familiar with the matter told the New York Post that Kremlev had been paid but did not specify how much was repaid.