US Attorney General refuses to investigate funding of Trump Jr's wedding by Russian oligarch
US Attorney General Todd Blanche has said he will not conduct an investigation into Donald Trump Jr's wedding, which was partially funded by Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev, as neither Trump himself nor members of his family allegedly know who this person is.
Source: European Pravda, citing ABC News
Details: The US president's son and his wife Bettina married in Palm Beach before heading to a private island in the Bahamas for a wedding party in late May, with Kremlev covering a significant portion of the expenses for the events held later that weekend.
Quote from Blanche: "The president [Donald Trump – ed.] doesn't know who this person is. I think other members of the family don't know who this person is ... When you say am I investigating – Am I investigating what?"
Details: The newlyweds acknowledged that Kremlev gave them an "extraordinarily generous" wedding gift. It is not yet known why he paid for part of the expenses for Trump Jr's wedding celebrations.
Quote from Blanche: "The president's son has said that he's a very close friend and that he accepted a gift the weekend of his wedding. And when you say this person is a friend of Putin, I don't even know if that's true or not."
Background:
- Members of President Donald Trump's family have flatly denied knowing Kremlev, while Democrats on Capitol Hill have promised to launch an investigation.
- On 7 August, the US Senate passed the Russia sanctions bill, co-authored by the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Democrat Senator Richard Blumenthal, by 86 votes.
- On 14 September, the bill cleared the House Rules Committee, after which it passed another procedural hurdle in the House of Representatives, paving the way for a floor vote as early as Wednesday.
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