Utah senator seeks Trump Jr subpoena over Russian-funded wedding event
Republican Senator John Curtis of Utah has asked the Senate Judiciary Committee to examine whether Donald Trump Jr. used his closeness to the presidency for financial gain after a Russian oligarch helped fund part of his recent wedding celebrations. In a letter sent on Tuesday, Curtis called for Trump Jr. to be subpoenaed over his business dealings, his ties with foreign individuals and entities, any gifts or benefits he has received, and any situation in which his relationship to President Donald Trump "was invoked or understood to provide value".
Curtis also said the same standard should apply to Hunter Biden, the son of former president Joe Biden. "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 in the letter to committee chairman Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, and the panel's top Democrat, Dick Durbin of Illinois.
The letter comes at a time when some Republicans have shown a greater willingness to criticise Trump after avoiding public breaks with him for much of his second term. The war in Iran, high petrol prices and rising concern within the party about its prospects in November's midterm elections have led to sharper scrutiny of the president from some members of his own party.
Last week, ProPublica reported that Umar Kremlev, who has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, helped pay to rent a private island and for a fireworks display when Trump Jr. and socialite Bettina Anderson were married in the Bahamas in May. In a later Instagram post signed by the couple, Bettina Trump said Kremlev, who heads the International Boxing Association, was a "dear friend" who "very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding". The president, who did not attend his son's wedding, defended Kremlev's involvement, but said the money would be paid back.
Last Friday, Curtis described the gift as "corruption" and said he would speak further on the matter. "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," Curtis said in a video posted on social media. Curtis, who was first elected to the Senate in 2024, had said when he took office that he would not be afraid to disagree with Trump. While he has criticised the president before, his demand for an inquiry into the president's son marks a notable step.
In another social media post, Curtis said Republicans had "nearly wore out the subpoena machine investigating Hunter Biden's foreign relationships" and said they "should not unplug it now". House Republicans spent much of 2023 and 2024 examining whether Hunter Biden used his father's name and political position to benefit his business ties with foreign interests. The Biden family rejected those investigations as politically motivated and denied wrongdoing.
That Republican push ended with a report accusing Joe Biden of taking part in a conspiracy to use his public office to enrich his family, although the House never voted on articles of impeachment against him. Summing up his latest demand for scrutiny, Curtis wrote: "'Trust us' was not enough then, and it is not enough now."
