Washington — Bettina Anderson, the wife of the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., took to Instagram Monday to confirm that Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev hosted some of their May post-wedding festivities on a private island in the Bahamas as “an extraordinarily generous wedding gift.”
Her post comes after ProPublica published a story Monday morning with the headline, “Donald Trump Jr.’s Bahamas wedding was secretly bankrolled by Russian oligarch close to Putin.”
Anderson said the Russian businessman, whom she called “our dear friend,” hosted two nights of celebrations after their wedding. Kremlev is the secretary general of the International Boxing Federation and an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
She said the wedding itself was for family only. President Trump did not attend, citing his responsibilities in Washington.
“The weekend that followed had actually been planned well in advance as a fun weekend with friends,” she said. “It was never intended to be our wedding weekend. When our original wedding plans changed, we simply decided to get married before it and arrived at an already planned weekend as newlyweds. 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.”
It’s not clear how they became acquainted with Kremlev. Anderson said in her post, “friendship doesn’t require a political motive.”
“We are fortunate to have wonderful friends from all over the world, and we will never be embarrassed or apologetic about being grateful for them,” she said, insisting there was “NO CONSPIRACY.”
Forbes estimates Donald Trump Jr.’s net worth is approximately $300 million. CBS News has asked the Trump Organization why Trump Jr., its executive vice president, accepted the gift.
Kremlev’s press office told ProPublica in a statement that he and Trump Jr. “have a friendly relationship” and first met “a couple of years ago.” The statement said Kremlev “has never discussed political matters with any of his American friends and acquaintances.”
President Trump said in a statement Monday evening: “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.”
