Trump says son repaid Russian oligarch for wedding expenses

US President Donald Trump claims his son has repaid Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev the money Kremlev previously spent covering part of the costs of his wedding celebration, BBC reports.

Investigation uncovered the payments

Earlier, investigative journalism outlet ProPublica found that Kremlev, an associate of Vladimir Putin who heads the International Boxing Association (IBA), helped pay for the wedding of Trump's younger son. The event took place in the Bahamas this past May.

Citing documents and three informed sources, ProPublica reported that Kremlev covered roughly $100,000 a night to rent the island where the wedding was held, as well as $70,000 for fireworks and other event-related expenses. The payments were made through a Dubai-registered company linked to the IBA.

Son could have afforded it himself

ProPublica noted that Trump Jr. could easily have covered these costs on his own — Forbes has estimated his wealth at $300 million.

Trump Jr. had previously said the wedding was attended by "only really close friends," about 50 guests in total. However, the guest list included a large group of Russian-speaking attendees, whose presence reportedly surprised other invitees, according to ProPublica. Among them was Kremlev himself, who has limited English skills. Meanwhile, some of Trump Jr.'s longtime friends reportedly did not receive invitations. President Trump himself did not attend the wedding.