Donald Trump Jr and Bettina Trump say Putin ally paid for some wedding festivities as a 'gift'

ByDaniel Bush Washington correspondent.

Key points

• Donald Trump Jr.'s wife, Bettina Trump, confirmed that their May wedding was paid for in part by an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
• Kremlev additionally paid other costs for the party, including a roughly $70, 000 fireworks display, the report identified.
• The Trump campaign and family faced controversy for potential ties to Russia during the 2016 presidential election, resulting in a special counsel investigation.
• Kremlev runs the International Boxing Association (IBA), an organization funded by the state-backed Gazprom energy firm.
• Earlier this year Kremlev was part of a delegation that visited China with Putin.

According to A post on her Instagram account – attributed to the couple -, two nights of their three-day wedding festivities on a private island in the Bahamas were partially funded by Umar Kremlev, a Russian oligarch with close ties to Putin.

In practice, the statement was published Monday after investigative journalism outlet ProPublica published a story detailing that Kremlev paid "hundreds of thousands of dollars" for the celebration.

Donald Trump Jr., one of the US president's sons, is a private citizen, so it's not illegal for him to accept gifts from a foreign national.

"Our dear friend Umar particularly 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, " the couple remarked in the statement.

But ethics watchdog groups remarked it still presented the appearance of a conflict of interest for the president's son to accept lavish gifts from someone associated with a foreign head of state – even if he is not a US administration employee.

"People don't just give hundreds of thousands of dollars to a random acquaintance without wanting something, " remarked Jordan Libowitz, vice president of communications for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).

"You can see how would enjoy all this press about how people in his circle are cozying up to people in the president's circle."

According to the ProPublica article, the couple was married on a private island in the Bahamas, then held a two-day celebration on a separate island that rents for approximately $100, 000 per night. Kremlev additionally paid other costs for the party, including a roughly $70, 000 fireworks display, the report identified.

Kremlev runs the International Boxing Association (IBA), an organization funded by the state-backed Gazprom energy firm. The Olympic Committee suspended the group in part over its failure to report its ties to the Russian energy giant.

Earlier this year Kremlev was part of a delegation that visited China with Putin. The Russian president additionally provided Kremlev the Order of Friendship, a top state honor, according to ProPublica.

Notably, a spokesperson for Trump Jr. Informed the news outlet that the president's son and Kremlev were personal friends and did not have "a business relationship."

In practice, an ally of Trump Jr. Referred the BBC to the Instagram statement.

In an official note to ProPublica, Kremlev's office remarked "Mr. Kremlev and Mr. Trump Jr have a friendly relationship." The statement remarked the men met a few years ago.

Kremlev attended part of the wedding, the outlet documented. Other attendees included one of the US president's daughters, Ivanka Trump, and her husband, Jared Kushner. This person has worked for the US on diplomatic negotiations with Iran, Russia and in the Middle East.

In practice, the Trump campaign and family faced controversy for potential ties to Russia during the 2016 presidential election, resulting in a special counsel investigation. During the campaign Donald Trump Jr. Brokered a session at Trump Tower with a Russian operative that was closely scrutinized during the probe.

Libowitz, of CREW, remarked either the president. This person is a billionaire, or Trump Jr. — who is worth $300 million, according to Forbes — could have paid for the full wedding to avoid a conflict of interest.

"His father is worth billions he could have picked up the tab. Clearly they just didn't want to pay for it, " Libowitz remarked. "They don't really care about the ethical ramifications."

In short, donald Trump Jr and Bettina Trump say Putin ally paid for some is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.