Reactions poured in to new reporting about a foreign oligarch who bankrolled the lavish wedding of President Donald Trump’s oldest son.
Donald Trump Jr.’s three-day wedding celebration in the Bahamas in May was substantially bankrolled by Umar Kremlev, a Russian oligarch with close ties to President Vladimir Putin, according to records reviewed by ProPublica and interviews with three people familiar with the event.
Kremlev paid to rent one of the two private islands used for the event, funded the fireworks display, and had his team help plan the wedding, which included a five-tier cake flown in from Florida and roughly 50 guests, including Jared Kushner and Eric Trump.
The payments came through a Dubai-based entity affiliated with the International Boxing Association, which Kremlev leads and which is financed by Russian state-owned Gazprom.
Kremlev, described by attendees as speaking limited English and often keeping to a Russian-speaking group that puzzled other guests, had not previously been reported to have a relationship with Trump Jr.
National security experts said the arrangement raises serious counterintelligence concerns.
“If I’m paying for your wedding, at some point, you’re going to owe me something,” said Frank Montoya Jr., a retired senior FBI counterintelligence official, calling the situation “unthinkable for the son of the president.”
Holden Triplett, who served as Trump’s counterintelligence director during his first term, said Russian intelligence routinely uses financial ties to cultivate access to American officials’ families.
The revelations astonished onlookers.
“Naked graft, selling out the country,” gasped Media Matters’ Matthew Gertz.
“What a surprise to learn that a Russian oligarch close to Putin paid for Junior’s lavish wedding. Who could’ve expected it?” reacted MeidasNews’ Ron Filipkowski.
“Every Trump scandal leads back to Russia,” observed John O’Brennan, professor of European politics. “These people are so corrupt they refuse to even pay for their own weddings. Ukrainian civilians face hell in earth every day if the week while the Trumps suck off the Kremlin’s teat.”
“The level of corruption is hard to fathom,” noted DailyKos’ Emily C. Singer.
“Jaw-dropping corruption,” added writer Alex Parker.
“I can’t even process this— Junior is rich. The woman he married is rich. Yet they still let a Russian oligarch buy THEM…. We are so far gone,” puzzled X user Kathi Domalski.
“Why does the son of the president of the United States who is supposed to be worth hundreds of millions need a Russian sugar daddy?” agreed former Obama staffer Tommy Vietor.
“This is America last and a bribe to pressure Ukraine to give up fighting. Hence Kushner’s speech,” pointed out civil rights activist James Tate.
“It will take decades to unravel the layers of corruption we’re witnessing in the Trump administration. And all those who continue to look the other way are complicit,” chided newsman Vonn Jones.
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