Don Jr.’s Wedding Largely Paid For by Russian Oligarch With Close Ties to Putin, Explosive Report Finds

(Mark Schiefelbein/AP photo)

Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding to socialite Bettina Anderson was largely paid for by a Russian oligarch with close ties to Vladimir Putin, according to an explosive ProPublica report that dropped on Monday.

The small nuptials in the Bahamas back in May were bankrolled predominantly by Umar Kremlev, the head of the International Boxing Association — which has drawn a slew of scandals due to its links to Gazprom, the energy giant linked to the Russian government, ProPublica reported.

“This should be unthinkable for the son of the president. End of story.” Frank Montoya Jr., a retired FBI agent and counterintelligence official told the outlet.

ProPublica wrote:

They had their first dance on a second private island nearby that can rent for around $100,000 a night, paid for by Kremlev. The company that put on the fireworks display charges around $70,000 for such shows. (Kremlev did not attend the ceremony itself, which was held on the first day and had just 18 guests, Trump Jr.’s spokesperson said.)

The wedding was also not attended by Don Jr,’s father, President Donald Trump, who skipped the ceremony because was “not good timing for me.”

When reached by ProPublica, Trump Jr. did not deny, the report, saying that “Umar is a personal friend” but “not someone he has a business relationship with.”

The spokesman added that the pair met through a mutual friend in the hunting world and “bonded over their love of boxing and the outdoors.”

Don Jr.’s brother, Eric Trump, however, denied even knowing who Kremlev is, saying through a spokesperson: “Eric has absolutely no clue who this person is, nor has never heard his name.”

In a statement, Kremlev’s press office told ProPublica that “Mr. Kremlev and Mr. Trump Jr. have a friendly relationship” and they first met “a couple of years ago.”

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