Sen. John Curtis (R-UT) called for Donald Trump Jr. and Hunter Biden to be subpoenaed over their business dealings, citing corruption concerns.
In an open letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Curtis cited growing concerns from the public about corruption by the families of members of Congress and the president, who use their proximity to powerful officials to make money. Citing the news that Trump Jr. had his wedding festivities paid for by a Russian oligarch, Curtis demanded that he be subpoenaed, though he also called for the junior Biden to be subpoenaed to balance it out.
“A toaster is a wedding gift. A private-island party paid for by a Putin-connected oligarch is something else. Republicans nearly wore out the subpoena machine investigating Hunter Biden’s foreign relationships. We should not unplug it now. ‘Trust us’ was not enough then, and it is not enough now,” he wrote in a post on X.
In the letter, Curtis began with condemnations of Biden, but quickly switched to the latest news about Trump Jr.
“These concerns are compounded by Donald Trump Jr.’s active promotion of family-backed cryptocurrency ventures, his continued pursuit of international real estate deals involving direct meetings with foreign heads of state, and his reported investments in defense contracting. This pattern extends to his significant financial and advisory ties to prediction-market platforms that depend on favorable federal regulatory decisions being considered by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission,” he wrote.
“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. Nor should congressional oversight begin and end when control of the White House changes hands,” Curtis continued.
Curtis comes from a solid Red bastion, making his demand all the more unusual. Few elected Republicans have dared to cross President Donald Trump since he took office, and allegations of corruption within the Trump White House have primarily come from Democrats.
To remedy the matter, Curtis called on the Senate Judiciary Committee to investigate the use of presidential family relationships for personal gain.
“As part of that investigation, I urge the Committee to subpoena Donald Trump Jr. and Hunter Biden to testify regarding their past business dealings, relationships with foreign individuals and entities, gifts, or other benefits they have received, and any instances in which their relationship to the President was invoked or understood to provide value,” he wrote.
SEN. BILL CASSIDY WANTS PROOF TRUMP JR. PAID RUSSIAN OLIGARCH BACK FOR WEDDING
The wedding gift, reported last week by ProPublica, included renting out a private island for the reception and guest lodgings. When asked about the matter, Trump defended it but also said his son paid the Russian billionaire back.
“It’s totally allowed, and a lot of people have parties, and it’s totally allowed. But as I understand it, he paid him back,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Friday afternoon. “He didn’t want to have that, so I hear he paid him back.”