'It's Corruption': GOP Senator Blasts Donald Trump Jr. Over Russian Oligarch's Wedding Gift

‘It’s Corruption’: GOP Senator Blasts Donald Trump Jr. Over Russian Oligarch’s Wedding Gift

admin Sep 20, 2026 0

Republican Sen. John Curtis (Utah) slammed Donald Trump Jr. Friday for accepting the generosity of a Russian oligarch with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

President Donald Trump’s eldest son married socialite Bettina Anderson in a small Bahamas ceremony in May. One attendee of the intimate gathering was Umar Kremlev, who reportedly met Trump Jr. just a few years before and paid hundreds of thousands of dollars towards expenses tied to the event, including a private island rental and fireworks show.

“A Russian oligarch paid for a lavish wedding after-party for Donald Trump Jr., which, to me, it just stinks,” Curtis said in a video released Friday. “It’s corruption. I don’t like it. I want to be careful because I don’t want to just talk about this passively.”

The GOP senator continued, “You’ll hear more from me later on. This is a big deal.”

Curtis highlighted the scandal in a video chronicling his personal “highs and lows” over the past week. His “litany” of criticisms started with skyrocketing fuel costs and inflation under Trump.

Coming to you this week with a big high and, candidly, a litany of lows in Washington. pic.twitter.com/JQ4YsZlehC

— Senator John Curtis (@SenJohnCurtis) September 18, 2026

ProPublica was first to report on Kremlev and his attendance at the wedding, citing records and interviews with at least three people familiar with the event.

Trump Jr. has described the wedding as “small, like, just really close friends,” the outlet noted. According to ProPublica, the presence of Kremlev and a big group of other Russians confused the other guests.

The president, who did not attend the wedding himself, has dismissed the controversy around Kremlev as “no big deal,” adding he has “never heard of him.”