Republican Senator Curtis Seeks Probe Into Trump Family Business Dealings

A Republican US senator has called for an investigation into whether President Donald Trump's family is benefiting financially from his presidency, arguing that any appearance of family members leveraging their position erodes public confidence in government.

Senator John Curtis of Utah sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee requesting a review of businesses owned by Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son, as well as payments made by a Russian oligarch for his wedding celebrations in the Bahamas this year. Congressional Democrats had already opened their own inquiry into the wedding payments last week.

Committee chairman Chuck Grassley told reporters he would take the request seriously but noted that any decision on launching an investigation would take time and was unlikely before the November 3 midterm elections.

The letter is the latest sign of prominent Republicans seeking distance from an increasingly unpopular president as the party defends narrow majorities in Congress. Republican Senate candidates Ashley Hinson and Mike Rogers have urged a swift end to the Iran war, an unpopular conflict that has driven up energy prices and living costs — the top concern for Americans ahead of the midterms. Paul LePage, the former Maine governor now running for a House seat, said on Monday that some administration immigration actions were "not right," pointing to his son's father-in-law facing deportation despite holding a work permit. LePage has argued enforcement should target gang members and violent criminals.

"I don't think it's the dam breaking," Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina said 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, Curtis is not up for election until 2030. Tillis is set to retire in January. Polling this week showed Trump's public approval at 32%, its lowest level, with support for Republican midterm candidates also slipping. Asked about Republicans in battleground states calling for an end to the Iran war, Vice President JD Vance told reporters it was "completely reasonable that Republicans are going to tailor their campaign messages."

In his letter, Curtis urged the panel to examine presidential family relationships and the potential leverage domestic and foreign entities might gain, including wedding festivities worth hundreds of thousands of dollars for Trump Jr. paid by Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev. He also raised questions about Trump Jr.'s business ventures, including crypto promotion, real estate deals and prediction market platforms, while 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 favorable treatment," Curtis wrote. "They also may create expectations of a returned favor that ... could even create national security vulnerabilities."

Trump said last week that his son is paying back Kremlev but offered no other details. The Trumps have defended their business dealings during Trump's time 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.

Curtis cited previous congressional investigations into Hunter Biden, son of Democratic former President Joe Biden, and said equal standards should apply regardless of 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," he wrote. Representatives for Hunter Biden could not be immediately reached. Hunter Biden, who has worked as an artist, lawyer and investor, has faced years of scrutiny from Republican lawmakers over his foreign business dealings and has denied any wrongdoing. The panel's ranking Democrat, Senator Dick Durbin, backed Curtis' request in a separate statement.