Donald Trump Jr. and Bettina Trump said they received support from Russian businessman Umar Kremlov for the celebrations held after their wedding in May.
In a statement posted on social media by Bettina Trump on behalf of the couple, Kremlov was described as a "close friend" of the Trumps. The statement said Kremlov organized the two-day celebrations following the wedding.
The couple described the support as an "extraordinarily generous wedding gift." The statement said, "We were grateful for his support then, and we remain grateful today."
The Trumps argued that their friendship did not have to be motivated by politics and that generosity did not inherently imply a hidden purpose. The statement said, "Sometimes a wedding gift is just a wedding gift."
Conflicting information about the duration and cost of the celebrations
A research article published the same day alleged that Kremlov covered costs running into hundreds of thousands of dollars for the three-day celebrations. While the Trumps' statement said the events lasted two days, the research article put their duration at three days.
About Kremlov and Trump Jr.
Umar Kremlov, president of the International Boxing Association, was recently awarded the Order of Friendship by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Donald Trump Jr. had previously attracted public attention because of his links to Russia. His meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya at Trump Tower during the 2016 presidential campaign became one of the main subjects of federal and congressional investigations.
Those investigations examined whether the Trump campaign had coordinated with efforts allegedly undertaken by Russia to interfere in the election.
