Donald Trump Jr. and Bettina Trump said on Monday that a Russian businessman, described as having ties to Vladimir Putin, hosted their wedding celebration. The statement appeared on Bettina Trump’s Instagram account in a message signed “Don & Bettina.” ProPublica reported that Umar Kremlev covered hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs tied to the newlyweds and dozens of guests. The outlet said the private-island events in the Bahamas started the day after the ceremony and that Kremlev also paid for a fireworks display. The couple wrote on their Instagram, “Our dear friend Umar very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding. It was an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend, and something for which we were and remain incredibly grateful.” Couple says the Bahamas trip was already booked as a friends weekend Bettina Trump said the island stay, which she said also included other Trump family members, had “been planned well in advance as a fun weekend with friends.” She stated, “It was never intended to be our wedding weekend.” She said wedding plans shifted, so they married first and then joined the weekend already on the calendar as newlyweds. She also wrote, “It’s unfortunate that something so personal and happy can be recast as something political or sinister simply because of who someone is or where they come from. Friendship doesn’t require a political motive. Generosity doesn’t automatically come with an agenda. And sometimes a wedding gift is simply a wedding gift.” Don Jr. has often been vocal in his political disputes, such as when he accused Ted Cruz of lying through his teeth after the senator criticized the proposed Iran deal. President Donald Trump did not attend the wedding or the island events. In a statement to NBC News, he called the matter “not a big deal.” He said, “I have no idea who Umar is, never heard of him, and he didn’t pay for Don and Bettina’s wedding, which took place at a totally different location, and on a different day from the wedding. It was an ‘afterparty’ given in their honor. Not a big deal! I was not present at the party.” House Oversight Committee ranking Democrat Robert Garcia of California called attention to the issue on social media. He said on X that Kremlev has been sanctioned by the Ukrainian government and “spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the President’s son. What did he get in return? We need answers.” Reporting has not established how long Trump Jr. and Kremlev, the president of the International Boxing Association, have known one another. They both appeared at an IBA event in Turkey last September. Trump Jr. said then, “I am proud to call Umar not only a leader but a friend.” Kremlev said they were “joining forces” and that “together, we will protect the transparency of boxing and open the door for the next generation.” He did not explain what that partnership would involve. NBC News said representatives for Kremlev and Trump Jr. did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Kremlev took over the IBA in 2020. The group’s website says Putin gave him an Order of Friendship medal in late April for his “contribution to international sport and his commitment to the global boxing family.” Chinese state media reported that, shortly before the Trump wedding, Kremlev joined the Russian group that traveled with Putin to Beijing to discuss boxing’s future in China. Trump Jr. has earlier met people described as having links to Putin. During the first Trump term, then-special counsel Robert Mueller reviewed a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower. Trump Jr. had been told the visitor was the “crown prosecutor of Russia” and had material on Hillary Clinton. Trump Jr. wrote in an email, “if it’s what you say I love it especially later in the summer.” Mueller’s report said the sit-down did not produce useful campaign information. Mueller did not charge that part of the case, saying investigators did not believe they could show Trump Jr. acted “willfully.” In 2019, attorney Alan Futerfas said the meeting “was just what Don said it was, and nothing more, and that there was nothing improper about potentially listening to information.”