Republican Senator John Curtis of Utah asked the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday to investigate and subpoena President 
Donald Trump's son over his business dealings, after a Russian oligarch helped fund the son's wedding party. Curtis sought the same scrutiny of Hunter Biden, son of former President 
Joe Biden. Hunter Biden replied on social media, "I'll sit next to Don Jr. and testify any time," The Hill reported.
What does the letter ask for? The letter, PBS NewsHour reported, asks the committee to subpoena the president's son over his business dealings, relationships with foreign individuals and entities, gifts he has received and any instances in which his relationship to the president "was invoked or understood to provide value." "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 said in the letter, addressed to committee chairman Chuck Grassley and Dick Durbin, the panel's top Democrat. On social media, he said Republicans "nearly wore out the subpoena machine investigating Hunter Biden's foreign relationships" and "should not unplug it now." The letter also cites the president's son's "active promotion of family-backed cryptocurrency ventures" and Hunter Biden's "substantial business with foreign entities," Cointelegraph reported. Biden pardoned his son in December 2024.
What prompted it? The request follows ProPublica's finding last week that Umar Kremlev, who has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, helped pay for a private island rental and a fireworks show when the president's son married Bettina Anderson in the Bahamas in May, PBS NewsHour reported. In an Instagram post signed by the couple, Bettina Trump called Kremlev a "dear friend" who hosted two nights of celebrations after the wedding. Trump, who did not attend, defended Kremlev's involvement but said the money would be paid back. Curtis called the gift "corruption" last Friday.
Who has responded? Durbin said Curtis had made a "good faith request" and that while Hunter Biden has given a sworn deposition in the past, the president's son has not, PBS NewsHour reported. "For the Committee to ignore this matter is to run the risk of being complicit in a coverup," Durbin said, pledging to support the request. Committee spokesperson Clare Slattery said the panel had received the letter but signalled that a hearing before the end of the year would be difficult, given the limited Senate schedule. Two Republican senators also offered support for the call on Tuesday, The Hill reported.
Figures referenced: Donald Trump, Joe Biden. — JudgeMarket.
