Democrats want to investigate Russian influence in Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding

A Democratic senator is pressing the Trump administration to look into reports that a Russian oligarch paid for wedding celebrations for Donald Trump Jr., the son of President Donald Trump.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who has traveled frequently to Ukraine amid its war with Russia, brought up the issue during a hearing Tuesday while questioning FBI Director Kash Patel.

Patel denied that the reports were necessarily accurate and said he did not review them before the hearing Tuesday morning.

“You’re referring to something that happened yesterday in public reporting, and public reporting generally isn’t accurate,” said Patel, saying the FBI would look at “whatever information comes our way.”

Blumenthal asked Patel to report back to the Senate Judiciary Committee with steps the FBI was taking to investigate improper influence by Kremlev.

“I was surprised beyond words,” Blumenthal later told The Hill about the reporting. “I was absolutely astonished and appalled that a Russian oligarch with ties to Vladimir Putin is bankrolling the president’s son’s wedding. It’s beyond belief.”

ProPublica reported Monday that a wealthy Russian businessman named Umar Kremlev, who has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, paid for and attended lavish wedding celebrations for Trump Jr. and his wife, Bettina Anderson, on a private island in the Bahamas in May.

Anderson in a post on Instagram said the festivities were not the wedding itself, but confirmed that Kremlev is a “dear friend” who hosted two nights of “celebrations” as a gift.

Attorney General Todd Blanche, at a White House press briefing on Tuesday, dismissed the idea that an investigation was needed, saying he didn’t know “this person” Kremlev and neither did Trump.

“Am I investigating what? And when you say, this person is a friend of Putin, I don’t even know whether that’s true or not,” Blanche said in response to a reporter’s question. “I think all the relevant people involved, the president and his kids have already addressed it, I don’t have any information, I don’t know this person either.”

Democrats in the House are also clamoring for answers on whether there was compromised intelligence or other unethical exchanges as a result of the friendship between the couple and Kremlev.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) told reporters Monday that the Trump family “are in the pocket of everyone but the American people.”

“I said it two years ago, and I’m saying it again. This administration … they are selling out every single person in this country for a buck, and it’s disgusting. And for what? To have a couple of extra frills at your wedding?”

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, posted on social media in response to the ProPublica story that he wanted more information on any quid pro quo Kremlev might have received from the Trump family.

“Why did a Russian oligarch close to Putin fund Trump Jr.’s wedding in the Bahamas?” Garcia wrote . “Umar Kremlev spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the President’s son. What did he get in return? We need answers.”

Republicans in Congress were generally not focused on the situation on Monday and Tuesday. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) told The Hill that his constituents are not talking about the Trump wedding.

“I heard about the thing, and same time we’re talking affordability back home, and we’re talking cattle prices back home,” Rounds said. “His wedding was a pretty low priority.”