Political Tribune

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Republican Senator Calls For Don Jr. Subpoena

No more free passes

538
538 points

Republican Senator John Curtis is calling on the Senate Judiciary Committee to subpoena Donald Trump Jr., arguing his family should face the same scrutiny Republicans applied to Hunter Biden.

A ProPublica report set off the chain of events.

Reporters found that Umar Kremlev, a Russian oligarch tied closely to Vladimir Putin, had quietly covered a substantial chunk of Trump Jr.’s wedding celebration in the Bahamas, including hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses.

Curtis reacted publicly before he ever put anything in writing. “A Russian oligarch paid for a lavish wedding after-party for Donald Trump Jr., which to me just stinks. It’s corruption, I don’t like it,” he said in a video, adding that people should expect more from him soon.

His follow-through came in the form of a formal letter Monday to committee chairman Chuck Grassley and ranking member Dick Durbin. “I therefore respectfully request that the Senate Judiciary Committee launch an investigation into the use of presidential family relationships for private financial benefit, preferential treatment, or access by domestic and foreign interests,” he wrote.

He specified exactly what troubled him about the wedding gift itself. According to the letter, the arrangement involved “a lavish wedding afterparty, on a private island, provided by Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev, who reportedly traveled to China as part of a delegation accompanying Vladimir Putin shortly before giving the gift.”

The wedding was just one entry on a longer list.

Curtis also cited Trump Jr.’s “active promotion of family-backed cryptocurrency ventures, his continued pursuit of international real estate deals involving direct meetings with foreign heads of state, and his reported investments in defense contracting,” alongside his advisory role with prediction-market companies that stand to benefit from friendly regulation.

He made the comparison to Hunter Biden explicit on X. “A toaster is a wedding gift. A private-island party paid for by a Putin-connected oligarch is something else,” he wrote. “Republicans nearly wore out the subpoena machine investigating Hunter Biden’s foreign relationships. We should not unplug it now.”

The people named in the letter responded in very different ways. Bettina Trump, Trump Jr.’s wife, posted warmly about the arrangement on Instagram, framing Kremlev as a generous friend rather than anything more complicated. “Our dear friend Umar very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding,” she wrote.

Trump himself waved off the concern entirely from the Oval Office. “It’s totally allowed, and a lot of people have parties,” he told reporters, claiming his son had already paid Kremlev back for the expenses.

Featured image via X screengrab

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Terry Lawson

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Terry is an editor and political writer based in Alabama. Over the last five years, he’s worked behind the scenes as a ghostwriter for a range of companies, helping shape voices and tell stories that connect. Now at Political Tribune, he writes sharp political pieces and edits with a close eye on clarity and tone. Terry’s work is driven by strong storytelling, attention to detail, and a clear sense of purpose. He’s skilled in writing, editing, and project management — and always focused on getting the message right. You can find him on X at https://x.com/TerryNotTrump.

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