Putin ally hosted Trump Jr.’s wedding bash. Congress wants to know why

Congressional Democrats are investigating Donald Trump Jr. after an official friend of Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin helped bankroll the Trump scion’s lavish wedding celebrations in the Bahamas, lawmakers announced Tuesday, Sept. 15.

"Why is a Russian oligarch and friend of Vladimir Putin financially supporting the President's son?" U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia, the Democratic leader of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, wrote in a statement announcing the congressional probe. "What does Umar Kremlev expect in return for funding this three-day wedding in the Bahamas?"

Kremlev is a Russian oligarch whom Putin awarded the "Order of Friendship" in April. Donald Trump Jr.’s wife Bettina Trump called Kremlev a "dear friend" in a statement confirming that he "generously hosted" two nights of the newlyweds’ festivities in May.

According to ProPublica, which first reported on the donation, Kremlev paid for "hundreds of thousands of dollars of wedding expenses," including renting out one of the private islands in the Bahamas where there was a reception and where guests stayed.

Bettina Trump slammed critics' accusations about the motivations for Kremlev’s donation.

"It’s unfortunate that something so personal and happy can be recast as something political or sinister simply because of who someone is or…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/