U.S. Attorney General sees no grounds to investigate Russian oligarch's gift to Trump Jr.

U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche indicated that the Department of Justice is unlikely to investigate the circumstances of an expensive wedding gift to Donald Trump Jr. from Russian businessman Umar Kremlev. Journalists previously established that Kremlev paid for a significant portion of the celebrations after the wedding of the U.S. President's son.

At a White House press conference, Blanche was asked whether the Department of Justice intended to examine Trump Jr.'s relationship with Kremlev and the source of funds spent on wedding events.

The Attorney General replied that he had no information that would give him grounds to start an investigation. He noted that he himself was not acquainted with Kremlev, President Donald Trump, according to him, also did not know him, and Trump Jr. publicly calls the Russian businessman a close friend.

“When you ask whether I will investigate this — what exactly should I investigate?” — stated Blanche.

The questions were prompted by a ProPublica investigation published on September 14. The outlet reported, citing financial documents and three people familiar with the event organization, that Kremlev spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the wedding celebrations of Donald Trump Jr. and Bettina Anderson.

According to journalists, the paid expenses included renting one of the private islands in the Bahamas, accommodation for guests, and a large fireworks display. One of the islands where the events took place could cost about $100 thousand per night, and the pyrotechnic show about $70 thousand.

ProPublica claims that payments were made through a Dubai-based entity linked to the International Boxing Association. Kremlev heads the International Boxing Association (IBA), which previously received funding from the Russian state concern Gazprom.

After the publication, Trump Jr. and his wife confirmed that Kremlev indeed organized and paid for two nights of celebrations. They called it an “extremely generous wedding gift” from a friend and rejected suggestions of political motives.

A representative of Trump Jr. also told ProPublica that Kremlev is his personal friend, but there is no business relationship between them. According to him, they met through a mutual acquaintance and became close due to a shared interest in hunting, boxing, and outdoor activities.

Kremlev himself, through representatives, said that he maintains friendly relations with the son of the American president and does not discuss political issues with him.

At the same time, Kremlev has public ties with Russian authorities. In 2026, Vladimir Putin awarded him the Order of Friendship. In Ukraine, Kremlev is under sanctions. He has also been repeatedly seen together with the Russian president at public events.

After the investigation was published, Democrats in the House of Representatives began their own review. Senior Democrat on the Oversight Committee Robert Garcia sent letters to Trump Jr. and the White House demanding preservation of documents and correspondence related to Kremlev and payment for wedding events.

Garcia stated that an expensive gift from a Russian businessman with close ties to Russian authorities raises questions in terms of possible foreign influence and conflict of interest. This is the position of Democrats in Congress; no evidence has been published that the gift was related to any service or political decision by U.S. authorities.

President Donald Trump said that he is not acquainted with Kremlev and does not consider what happened a significant problem. He also stressed that the Russian businessman did not directly pay for his son's family wedding ceremony, but participated in financing the celebrations that followed.

Based on materials from: ABC News, ProPublica, House Committee on Oversight