Republican Sen. Thom Tillis calls Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding gift from Russian oligarch with Putin ties ‘stupid on stilts’ — ‘This is amateur hour at a time when we need our pros on the field’
Sen. Thom Tillis couldn’t believe Donald Trump Jr. accepted a lavish gift from Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev, calling the move “stupid on stilts.”
The North Carolina Republican spoke out against the decision during a Sunday, September 27, interview with CNN’s State of the Union cohost Jake Tapper.
His comments came about two weeks after ProPublica reported that Kremlev spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on Trump and wife Bettina Anderson’s wedding celebrations in the Bahamas.
‘Amateur hour’
“This was stupid on stilts!” Tillis exclaimed.
He noted that Trump already has hundreds of millions of dollars and wondered why he’d take an expensive gift from someone tied to Vladimir Putin.
“You’d think someone would have gotten the memo of a bad look — to have a Russian oligarch who has actually traveled in a delegation to Beijing, to fund some sort of island wedding for a very wealthy family who also happens to be related to the president of the United States,” he said.
“Come on, guys, this is amateur hour at a time when we need our pros on the field,” he added.
Expensive ceremony
According to ProPublica, Kremlev, who heads the International Boxing Association, covered the cost of renting a private island.
The rental can run around $100,000 a night, while a fireworks show can cost about $70,000.
Tillis said Republicans don’t have much time to deal with issues like this, especially with the midterms just weeks away.
“We got an election to win in 37 days. How this helps… I can’t imagine,” he said.
‘Doesn’t look very smart’
Tillis said he would still like to hear Trump’s explanation for accepting such a pricey gift.
“Maybe Don Jr. can give us a reasonable example why tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars from an oligarch went into a wedding in some beach location,” he said.
“But, boy, I’d sure like to see the rationale behind it. On its face, it doesn’t look very smart,” he added.
Anderson previously defended Kremlev on Instagram, calling him a “dear friend” who “very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding.”
She and Trump said it was an “extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend.”
Subpoena for Donald Trump Jr.
Tapper went on to ask Tillis whether he thought Trump should be subpoenaed.
While the senator said it was up to the committee leaders to decide, he was in favor of “taking a look at it.”
Tillis is not the only Republican who wants the situation investigated.
Sen. John Curtis recently urged the Senate Judiciary Committee to subpoena Trump and look into his business dealings, foreign connections and gifts he has received as the president’s son.
“For years, serious questions have been raised about members of presidential families using their names and proximity to the president to advance private business interests,” Curtis wrote to the committee.