President Donald Trump said his son, Donald Trump Jr., had told him he would repay a Russian oligarch who funded a wedding party in the Bahamas for him in May.
Trump was asked by reporters in the Oval Office on Sept. 18 if it was appropriate that his son accepted the gift from businessman Umar Kremlev after his wedding to Bettina Anderson. The president said it was.
"Well, it’s totally allowed, and a lot of people have parties and all, but it’s totally allowed. But as I understand it, he paid him back. He didn’t want to have that, so I hear he paid him back," Trump said days after Congress launched an investigation into reports Kremlev reportedly paid for the gathering. "That's very common. I've given wedding parties."
Trump added that when he asked
his son about it, he said, "'No, I'm paying it back, Dad.' And that was a while ago. So I heard he's paying."
Trump Jr. and his wife confirmed the spending on social media after ProPublica reported that 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 lavish reception and where guests stayed.
Kremlev is the president of the International Boxing Association, an organization that's been criticized for its ties to the Russian government and has lost much of its standing in international sports. Kremlev is also a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and reportedly traveled with him to China ahead of Trump Jr.’s wedding.
In April, Putin awarded Kremlev the "Order of Friendship," the IBA announced.
Representatives for Donald Trump Jr. did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.
Contributing: Erin Mansfield
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: President Trump says Don Jr. paid back Umar Kremlev for 'wedding gift'
