By Susan Heavey
WASHINGTON, Sept 22 (Reuters) - A Republican US senator on Tuesday called for an investigation into whether President Donald Trump's family is profiting from his time in office, saying any perception that family members are exploiting their position undermines trust in the government.
Senator John Curtis wrote a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee calling for a probe into businesses owned by Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and payments by a Russian oligarch for his wedding
celebrations in the Bahamas this year. Congressional Democrats launched an investigation last week into the wedding payments.
There was no indication that Republicans, who control the Senate, would act anytime soon. Committee chairman Chuck Grassley declined to comment, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters that he did not know enough facts to have a position.
The open letter marks the latest example of prominent Republicans attempting to create some distance between themselves and the increasingly unpopular president, six weeks from midterm elections in which his party is defending thin majorities in the US Congress.
Republicans Ashley Hinson and Mike Rogers, who are running for Senate in Iowa and Michigan, on Monday called for a swift end to the Iran war, an unpopular conflict that has pushed up energy prices and the cost of living, which is Americans' top concern heading into the midterms.
Republican Paul LePage, the former Maine governor seeking a House seat, also criticized Trump's deportation of undocumented immigrants on Monday, saying his son's father-in-law is facing deportation even though he has a work permit. LePage has argued that immigration enforcement should focus on gang members and violent criminals.
But unlike Rogers, Hinson and LePage, Curtis, of Utah, is not up for election until 2030.
Reuters/Ipsos polling this week showed Trump's public approval at 32%, its lowest point ever, and support for electing Republicans in the November 3 midterms also weakening.
Asked about Republicans in key battleground states calling for an end to the Iran war, US Vice President JD Vance told reporters that he had not seen their comments but that it was "completely reasonable that Republicans are going to tailor their campaign messages."
'LEGITIMATE QUESTIONS'
In the letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Curtis urged the panel to investigate presidential family relationships and their possible leverage by domestic and foreign entities, including wedding festivities worth hundreds of thousands of dollars for Trump Jr. paid by Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev.
Curtis also raised questions about Trump Jr.'s business ventures, including crypto promotion, real estate deals, prediction market platforms and more as his father controls the White House.
"These reports raise legitimate questions about foreign access to members of a sitting president's family and whether such relationships can create actual or perceived expectations of favorable treatment," he wrote. "They also may create expectations of a returned favor that would not be in the best interests of the American people or our allies, and could even create national security vulnerabilities."
Trump last week said that his son is paying back Kremlev but offered no other details. A person familiar with the situation had separately told Reuters that Trump Jr. planned to reimburse the Russian.
The Trumps have defended their family business dealings while Trump is in office and denied any conflicts of interest, pointing to a trust managed by Trump Jr. and Eric Trump.
Representatives for Trump Jr. did not respond to a request for comment.
A spokesperson said the Senate Judiciary Committee received the letter but that there was "extremely limited" time to schedule hearings this year, adding such investigations can take months and years.
EQUAL STANDARDS
Curtis pointed to previous congressional investigations into Democratic former President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, and said there should be equal standards, regardless of political party.
"The country should not have to accept one standard for the family of a Republican president and another for the family of a Democratic president," Curtis wrote. "Nor should congressional oversight begin and end when control of the White House changes hands."
Representatives for Hunter Biden could not be immediately reached. The younger Biden, who has worked as an artist, lawyer and investor, has faced years of scrutiny from Republican lawmakers, particularly over his foreign business dealings. He has denied any wrongdoing.
The panel's ranking Democrat, US senator Dick Durbin, in a separate statement backed Curtis' request, adding that while Hunter Biden has testified before Congress on the issue, Donald Trump Jr. has not. "For the committee to ignore this matter is to run the risk of being complicit in a cover-up," he said.
(Reporting by Susan Heavey; additional reporting by David Morgan and Bo Erickson; editing by Scott Malone, Deepa Babington, Jonathan Spicer and David Gaffen)
