GOP Sen. John Curtis calls for probe of Trump Jr. after wedding party
bankrolled by Russian oligarch
[September 23, 2026]
By JOEY CAPPELLETTI and MARY CLARE JALONICK
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. John Curtis of Utah is calling on the
Senate Judiciary Committee to investigate whether Donald Trump Jr. used
his proximity to the presidency for financial benefit, after his recent
wedding party was partially bankrolled by a Russian oligarch.
In a letter sent Tuesday, Curtis called on the committee to subpoena
Trump Jr. over his business dealings, relationships with foreign
individuals and entities, gifts or other benefits he has received and
any instances in which his relationship to President Donald Trump, a
Republican, “was invoked or understood to provide value.” Curtis called
for the same scrutiny of Hunter Biden, the son of former President Joe
Biden, a Democrat.
“The country should not have to accept one standard for the family of a
Republican president and another for the family of a Democratic
president,” Curtis wrote in the letter addressed to GOP Sen. Chuck
Grassley of Iowa, chairman of the committee, and Sen. Dick Durbin of
Illinois, the top Democrat on the panel.
The request by Curtis, a freshman senator who does not sit on the
Judiciary committee, was a rare criticism of Trump's family as most
Republican lawmakers have stayed clear of weighing in on the president's
son. Grassley told reporters on Tuesday that he would have to gather
more facts before deciding whether to investigate, while Senate Majority
Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he did not “have an observation on
that.”
Still, the letter comes as a few Republicans have shown a recent
willingness to criticize Trump's policies after largely avoiding public
breaks with Trump during much of his second term. The unpopular war in
Iran, high gas prices and mounting concerns about the GOP’s prospects in
November’s midterm elections have brought increased scrutiny of the
president from within his own party.
At least two Republican members of the Judiciary panel said they would
support an investigation. North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, who is
retiring, said he would have no problem with a probe of the wedding
events, which he said showed “colossally bad judgment at best.”
Texas Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican who lost his seat in a primary
earlier this year after Trump endorsed his opponent, said that Grassley
wants to do “due diligence” but “I would support Sen. Curtis's request.”
A third Republican, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, said of Curtis: “I’m
glad he said what he said.”
“It doesn’t make any difference if you’re Republican or Democrat, if
you’re Trump or you’re Biden,” Murkowski said.
The Trumps say it was a generous gift from a dear friend
ProPublica first reported last week that Umar Kremlev, who has close
ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, helped pay to rent a private
island and for a fireworks show when Trump Jr. and socialite Bettina
Anderson were married in the Bahamas in May.
In a subsequent post on her Instagram page signed by the couple, Bettina
Trump wrote that Kremlev, head of the International Boxing Association,
was a “dear friend” who “very generously hosted two incredible nights of
celebrations for us AFTER our wedding.”
The president, who did not attend his son's wedding, defended Kremlev's
involvement but said the money would be paid back.
Grassley said he wasn't yet familiar with the facts of the case.
“I’m going to take these requests seriously and sit down with staff and
see what we can do,” Grassley said, adding that “it takes time, and if
you were going to ask me when we're going to have a hearing, there’s no
way I could answer that today.”
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Donald Trump Jr., speaks with his wife Bettina, left, as they wait
for President Donald Trump to deliver remarks to U.S. embassy staff
at Deerfield Residence in Dublin, Sept. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia
Demaree Nikhinson, File)
Curtis calls the funding ‘corruption’
Curtis, first elected to the Senate in 2024, vowed upon taking
office not to shy away from disagreeing with Trump. He has publicly
broken with the president several times since, including rejecting
Trump’s calls to eliminate the Senate filibuster. In a July Wall
Street Journal op-ed, Curtis wrote that “under no circumstance”
would he support efforts to end or alter the filibuster, which
requires 60 votes to advance most legislation in the 100-member
chamber.
Curtis' criticism involving Trump’s son goes beyond those policy
disagreements. Curtis last Friday called the gift “corruption” and
vowed to say more in the coming days.
“A Russian oligarch paid for a lavish wedding after-party for Donald
Trump Jr., which to me just stinks. It’s corruption. I don’t like
it,” Curtis said in a video posted on social media.
On Tuesday, Curtis wrote on social media that Republicans “nearly
wore out the subpoena machine investigating Hunter Biden’s foreign
relationships” and that they “should not unplug it now.”
Judiciary panel has previously investigated Trump Jr., Hunter
Biden
Any congressional committee can launch an investigation at any time.
In 2017, Grassley launched a Senate Judiciary Committee
investigation of the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia, including a
meeting that Trump Jr. held with Russians in 2016. The panel has
also conducted multiple investigations of Hunter Biden.
Durbin said in a statement that Curtis had made a “good faith
request.”
“For the Committee to ignore this matter is to run the risk of being
complicit in a coverup. I will join in supporting Senator Curtis’
request,” Durbin said.
Hunter Biden defended himself in a post on X, saying that he has
already given “more than seven hours of sworn testimony.”
“I’ll sit next to Don Jr. and testify any time, any place,” he said.
Republicans investigated the Bidens
Grassley worked alongside House Republicans in 2023 and 2024 to
investigate whether Hunter Biden used his father’s name and
political position to benefit his business dealings with foreign
interests. The Biden family dismissed the investigations as
politically motivated and denied any wrongdoing.
The GOP effort culminated in a report accusing Joe Biden of
participating in a conspiracy to use his public office to enrich his
family. But the House never voted on articles of impeachment against
him.
“‘Trust us’ was not enough then, and it is not enough now,” Curtis
wrote.
Democrats have foreshadowed plans to investigate Trump and his
family if they win control of Congress in November, with particular
scrutiny on the family’s financial interests. Rep. Robert Garcia,
the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said in a
statement that the revelations surrounding Trump Jr.'s wedding “may
be the most serious allegation against you to date.”
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Associated Press writer Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.
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