Republican senator calls for probe of Trump family business dealings

[WASHINGTON] A Republican US senator on Tuesday (Sep 22) called for an investigation into whether President Donald Trump’s family is profiting from his time in office, saying any perception that family members are exploiting their position undermines trust in the government.

Senator John Curtis wrote a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee calling for a probe into businesses owned by Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and payments by a Russian oligarch for his wedding celebrations in the Bahamas this year. Congressional Democrats launched an investigation last week into the wedding payments.

Committee chairman Chuck Grassley told reporters he would consider the request seriously but cautioned that deciding on an investigation would take time. A decision was not expected until after the Nov 3 midterm elections.

The open letter marks the latest example of prominent Republicans attempting to create some distance between themselves and the increasingly unpopular president, six weeks from midterms in which his party is defending thin majorities in the US Congress.

Republican Senate candidates Ashley Hinson and Mike Rogers have called for a swift end to the Iran war, an unpopular conflict that has pushed up energy prices and the cost of living, which is Americans’ top concern heading into the midterms.

Republican Paul LePage, the former Maine governor seeking a House seat, has criticised Trump’s deportation of undocumented immigrants and argued that enforcement should focus on gang members and violent criminals.

“I don’t think it’s the dam breaking,” Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina told reporters when asked about the significance of the candidates’ comments. “But they need to have the flexibility to express whatever real concerns they have, because the voters have those concerns.”

Unlike Rogers, Hinson and LePage, letter-writer Curtis of Utah is not up for election until 2030. Tillis is due to retire in January.

Reuters/Ipsos polling this week showed Trump’s public approval at 32 per cent, its lowest point ever, and support for electing Republicans in the midterms also weakening.

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Asked about Republicans in key battleground states calling for an end to the Iran war, US Vice-President JD Vance told reporters it was “completely reasonable that Republicans are going to tailor their campaign messages.”

‘Legitimate questions’

In the letter, Curtis urged the Senate panel to investigate presidential family relationships and their possible leverage by domestic and foreign entities, including wedding festivities worth hundreds of thousands of dollars for Trump Jr. paid by Russian oligarch Umar ​Kremlev.

Curtis also raised questions about Trump Jr.’s business ventures, including crypto promotion, real estate deals, prediction market platforms and more as his father controls the White House.

“These reports raise legitimate questions about foreign access to members of a sitting president’s family and whether such relationships can create actual or perceived expectations of favourable treatment,” he wrote. “They also may create expectations of a returned favour that ... could even create national security vulnerabilities.”

Trump last week said his son is paying back​ Kremlev but offered no other details.

The Trumps have defended their family business dealings while Trump is in office and denied any conflicts of interest, pointing to a trust managed by Trump Jr. and Eric Trump.

Representatives for Trump Jr. did not respond to a request for comment.

A spokesperson said the Senate committee received the letter but that there was “extremely limited” time to schedule hearings this year.

Equal standards

Curtis pointed to previous congressional investigations into Democratic former President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, and said there should be equal standards, regardless of political party.

“The country should not have to accept one standard for the family of a Republican president and another for the family of a Democratic president,” Curtis wrote.

Representatives for Hunter Biden could not be immediately reached. The younger Biden, who has worked as an artist, lawyer and investor, has faced years of scrutiny from Republican lawmakers, particularly over his foreign business dealings. He has denied any wrongdoing.

The panel’s ranking Democrat, US senator Dick Durbin, in a separate statement backed Curtis’ request. REUTERS