Republican calls Donald Trump Jr ‘stupid on stilts’ at wedding party funded by Putin friend

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Republican Sen. Thom Tillis called Donald Trump Jr.’s Caribbean wedding party, financed by a Russian oligarch linked to Vladimir Putin, “stupid on stilts.”

He is among a growing number of Republicans calling for an investigation into Trump Jr after Putin ally Umar Kremlev financed his wedding celebrations to socialite Bettina Anderson in the Bahamas in May.

Tillis, who will retire when his term ends in January, told CNN State of the Union On Sunday, he would leave it to the presidents of the judicial committee to decide whether or not to subpoena the president’s son, before dwelling on the absurdity of the situation.

“Guys, that was stupid on stilts,” said Tillis, of North Carolina. “You’d think someone would have gotten a memo with a dirty look.”

“That a Russian oligarch who traveled on a delegation to Beijing is financing some sort of island wedding for a very wealthy family who also happens to be related to the president? Come on, guys, it’s amateur time,” Tillis said.

The North Carolina senator noted that the scandal occurred “at a time when we need our pros on the field.”

“We have to win an election in 37 days. How that helps…I can’t imagine,” he said.

He added, “Maybe Don Jr. can give us a reasonable example of why tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars from an oligarch were spent on a beach wedding, but damn, I’d like to see the rationale behind it. On the surface, it doesn’t look very smart.”

Kremlev, head of the International Boxing Association, helped fund a private island and fireworks display during Trump Jr.’s wedding celebrations, according to records reviewed by ProPublica.

On Instagram, Bettina Trump wrote that Kremlev was a “dear friend” who “very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding.”

President Donald Trump defended the wedding being partly financed by the Russian oligarch, telling reporters on September 18, “It’s totally allowed.” He added that he thought his son was paying them back.

Days later, members of Trump’s own party called for an investigation into whether Trump Jr. used his closeness to his father to gain a financial advantage regarding the marriage.

Republican Sen. John Curtis of Utah called on the Senate Judiciary Committee to subpoena Trump Jr. for his business dealings, dealings with foreign entities and gifts or other benefits he received as a result of being the president’s son.

Curtis, in a letter sent last week to the Senate Judiciary Committee late Tuesday, said Trump Jr. should face the same scrutiny as Hunter Biden, the son of former President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and suggested both men should answer questions about whether they used their family connections to profit.

“For years, serious questions have been raised about members of presidential families using their name and proximity to the President to promote private business interests,” Curtis wrote in a letter to the committee.

He called for an investigation into “the use of presidential family connections for private financial gain, preferential treatment or access by domestic and foreign interests.”

Two Republicans on the Judiciary Committee, Tillis and Texas Sen. John Cornyn, also said they would support an investigation. Tillis is retiring this year, and Cornyn lost his seat in a primary earlier this year to a Trump-backed opponent.

Another Republican, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, said she was glad Curtis sent the letter.

“It doesn’t make any difference if you’re a Republican or a Democrat, if you’re Trump or Biden,” she said.

With reporting from the Associated Press