Donald Trump, Jr. and his new wife Bettina Trump have now acknowledged the accuracy of bombshell reporting that a Putin-tied oligarch named Umar Kremlev paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for their lavish wedding celebrations in the Bahamas.
ProPublica’s investigation began:
“On May 24, Donald Trump Jr. was celebrating in the Bahamas, as scantily clad dancers in stilettos and sailor caps performed for him and his guests. It was the last night of his wedding, a lavish, three-day party held across a pair of ultra-exclusive private islands. A five-tier funfetti cake had been airlifted in from Florida, and helicopters and seaplanes descended on the islands before guests settled into their oceanfront villas. That night on the beach, Trump Jr. lifted his bride into the air while fireworks launched from a barge over the sea.
“It was everything we dreamed of and more,” his wife later wrote on Instagram.
That dream was heavily funded by a secret benefactor: Umar Kremlev, a Russian oligarch close to President Vladimir Putin.”
The newlyweds then co-signed a statement on Bettina Trump’s Instagram account labeling the article “fake news” — while confirming its accuracy:
“Our dear friend Umar very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations AFTER our wedding. It was an extraordinarily generous gift from a friend, and something for which we were and remain incredibly grateful.”
During a conversation on Substack Live, Allison Gill and I discussed the reporting, Kremlev’s ties to a Ukrainian-sanctioned entity accused of abducting children, and my recent conversation with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse about why he believes Trump and Russia remains a story worth investigation.
Look out for my interview with the senator soon.
