Russian businessman Umar Kremlev reportedly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for Donald Trump Jr.’s post-wedding celebrations in the Bahamas.
Kremlev, president of the International Boxing Association, has been linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin and was awarded the Order of Friendship by him in April.
Trump Jr. and his wife said the Bahamas celebrations were a personal wedding gift from Kremlev and rejected suggestions of a political motive.
Umar Kremlev, a Russian businessman and head of the International Boxing Association, paid hundreds of thousands of dollars towards Trump Jr.'s post-wedding celebrations in the Bahamas. The reported expenses included a private-island rental and fireworks. ProPublica says the payments came through an IBA-affiliated entity in Dubai.
ProPublica reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded Kremlev the Order of Friendship in April and that Kremlev travelled to China around the wedding as part of a delegation accompanying Putin.
Bettina Anderson, Trump’s daughter in law, confirmed that Kremlev hosted two nights of celebrations after their wedding, but described it as “an extraordinarily generous wedding gift” from a friend and rejected any political implication.
Who Is Umar Kremlev?
Kremlev is the president of the International Boxing Association (IBA) and has longstanding links to Russian political and business circles. He was awarded Russia’s Order of Friendship by Putin in April. Ukraine has also sanctioned Kremlev, citing his links to Putin and Russian security services.
Kremlev's relationship with Trump Jr. appears to be relatively recent. A spokesperson for Trump Jr. told ProPublica that the two men met through a mutual friend in the hunting world and bonded over boxing and the outdoors. Kremlev's press office said the two have a friendly relationship and denied that he had discussed political matters with his American friends.
What Did Trump Jr. And His Wife Say About The Gift?
Trump Jr.’s spokesperson did not dispute that Kremlev paid for the celebrations, but said he was a personal friend and had no business relationship with Trump Jr. Anderson, also acknowledged the payments, describing Kremlev as a “dear friend” who had generously hosted two nights of celebrations as a wedding gift, as per People.
Trump Jr.'s wife has specifically said the wedding itself was a private family ceremony and described the Bahamas celebrations as a separate post-wedding gift. “It was everything we dreamed of and more,” his wife later wrote on Instagram.
“It was really small, like, just really close friends,” Trump Jr. later said on his podcast as quoted by Pro Publica. “Tried to keep it really tight. And it was just awesome.”
Anderson said the Bahamas trip had been planned before the couple’s wedding and was initially intended as a weekend with friends. She rejected suggestions of a political motive, saying there was “NO CONSPIRACY, NO MYSTERY”.
President Donald Trump, who did not attend the wedding or the Bahamas celebrations, said he had never heard of Kremlev and stressed that the businessman did not pay for his son’s wedding itself, according to Wall Street Journal.
Retired FBI official Frank Montoya Jr., who held senior counterintelligence positions during his career, warned that accepting such a significant payment could create an expectation of reciprocity.
He said Russian oligarchs can sometimes operate in concert with the Russian government, although he stressed that it was not known whether that was the case with Kremlev.
Montoya argued that accepting the funding left Trump Jr. vulnerable to questions over potential influence and said such an arrangement was inappropriate for the president’s son, according to Pro Publica.
