Donald Trump Jr. and wife Bettina Trump are breaking their silence on the scandal rocking their fairy-tale wedding, admitting that Umar Kremlev, a Russian oligarch and friend of Vladimir Putin, helped fund their wedding celebration to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
On Monday, September 14, Bettina, 39, posted a carousel of photos from their wedding weekend on Instagram. She included a carefully worded explanation admitting that “our dear friend Umar very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding.” However, according to the bride, it was merely “an extraordinary wedding gift from a friend.”
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The socialite told followers that the star-studded soirée in question, which included fireworks, wasn’t even supposed to be their post-wedding celebration — it was just a “fun weekend with friends.” She claimed it only morphed into their official wedding weekend after other plans fell apart.
The bride didn’t hold back, lashing out at anyone daring to question the pricey arrangement, accusing them of twisting “something so personal and happy” into “something political or sinister.”
But not everyone is buying the story. Many have questioned why a member of Putin’s inner circle would spend several hundred thousands of dollars to fund Don Jr., 48, and Bettina’s wedding. Especially since signs point to them meeting very recently — despite him being referred to as a close friend — according to a Monday report from ProPublica.
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“If I’m paying for your wedding, at some point, you’re going to owe me something,” Frank Montoya Jr., a retired FBI official, told the outlet when asked about the situation. “This should be unthinkable for the son of the president. End of story.”
Still, Bettina isn’t backing down, declaring that any impropriety is “fake news.”
“NO CONSPIRACY , NO MYSTERY,” she wrote. “Just a private family wedding, a wonderful weekend with friends and one hell of a party.”