Trump defends son's wedding expenses paid by Putin ally
Kremlev paid "hundreds of thousands of dollars" towards expenses for a wedding gathering in the Bahamas in May for Trump Jr. and his wife, Bettina Anderson, according to a report by ProPublica
US President Donald Trump on Thursday defended his son Donald Trump Jr. over wedding-related expenses paid by Russian businessman Umar Kremlev, saying the arrangement was "totally allowed" and that it was common for others to host wedding parties.
Kremlev paid "hundreds of thousands of dollars" towards expenses for a wedding gathering in the Bahamas in May for Trump Jr. and his wife, Bettina Anderson, according to a report by ProPublica. The event included the rental of a private island for guests and a reception.
Trump Jr. and Anderson subsequently confirmed the expenses on social media, and the payments prompted a congressional investigation into the funding, says USA Today.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on 18 September, Trump defended the arrangement and said his son had told him he intended to repay Kremlev.
"No, I'm paying it back, Dad," Trump quoted his son as saying, adding that Trump Jr. did not want to accept the gift.
Representatives for Trump Jr. did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Kremlev is president of the International Boxing Association (IBA), which has lost much of its standing in international sports amid scrutiny over its ties to the Russian government.
He is also a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and travelled with Putin to China shortly before Trump Jr.'s wedding.
In April, the IBA announced that Putin had awarded Kremlev Russia's "Order of Friendship".
