U.S. Congress Urged to Investigate Trump Family Corruption Allegations as Republican Senator Calls for Inquiry
Republican Senator John Curtis called on Tuesday for a congressional investigation into a Russian businessman’s reported payment for celebrations marking the wedding of Donald Trump Jr., the U.S. president’s eldest son.
“A toaster is a wedding gift. A party on a private island hosted by one of Putin’s oligarchs is something else,” the Utah senator wrote on social media, according to News.ro.
Curtis’s call adds to pressure from within the Republican Party over the gift.
Donald Trump Jr. and his wife, Bettina Trump, confirmed on Instagram last week that their “dear friend” Umar Kremlev had “very generously” hosted two evenings of celebrations for them in the Bahamas in May.
President Donald Trump said on Friday that his son had reimbursed Kremlev for the expenses after questions arose about the risk of foreign influence over the presidential family.
“One of his friends threw a wedding party. That’s a very common thing. I’ve heard of many people throwing wedding parties. I’ve thrown many myself,” Trump said. “As I understand it, he reimbursed him.”
Democrats Back the Republican Call for an Inquiry
Trump’s statement did not end the controversy. “I respectfully request that the Senate Judiciary Committee launch an investigation into the use of the presidential family’s relationships for private financial gain, preferential treatment, or increased access for domestic or foreign interests,” Curtis wrote on Tuesday in a letter to the committee’s leaders.
He also called for Donald Trump Jr. to be subpoenaed to testify before Congress. Senator Dick Durbin, the committee’s top Democrat, backed Curtis’s request.
“Corruption at the highest levels of government should never be tolerated,” Durbin said in a statement announcing his support for a congressional inquiry.
In his letter, Curtis also called for the revival of a congressional investigation into the business dealings of Hunter Biden, the son of former Democratic President Joe Biden.
Donald Trump asserted firm control over congressional Republicans after returning to the White House in January 2025. In recent months, however, a growing number of Republican lawmakers have broken with the president, calling for greater transparency in the Epstein case or an end to the war in Iran.
