International Boxing Association head Umar Kremlev said Donald Trump Jr. reimbursed him for expenses around the U.S. president’s son’s wedding. Kremlev called the payment a gift and said repayment was unnecessary.
Russian businessman Umar Kremlev said on October 6 that Donald Trump Jr. reimbursed him hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on celebrations surrounding the U.S. president’s son’s wedding. Kremlev, who heads the International Boxing Association, confirmed the repayment at a news conference in Istanbul.
“Yes, he did,” Kremlev said when asked whether Trump Jr. had repaid him. “He repaid the money I spent on the present.” He compared the arrangement to inviting friends to a country house and said it would be “ridiculous” to demand the money back afterward. He described the relationship as a friendship joined by a shared love of sports.
Investigative outlet ProPublica reported earlier that Kremlev paid hundreds of thousands of dollars toward three days of wedding celebrations for Trump Jr. and Bettina Anderson in the Bahamas, including the rental of a private island. The couple later acknowledged Kremlev’s involvement, saying their friend had “very generously hosted” two nights of festivities after the wedding ceremony.
U.S. President Donald Trump had previously told reporters that his son repaid the money and defended the arrangement. The payments prompted calls to investigate whether foreign interests could gain access or influence through members of the president’s family. Republican Senator John Curtis asked the Senate Judiciary Committee to investigate and subpoena Trump Jr.
Kremlev dismissed suggestions that the gift had political significance. Russian President Vladimir Putin previously awarded him the Order of Friendship. The Associated Press reported that Trump Jr. and his wife described Kremlev as a friend who hosted them after the wedding ceremony.