Sen. John Curtis of Utah has asked the top members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to issue subpoenas for Donald Trump Jr. and Hunter Biden. The Republicans want both men questioned about business and personal activity that took place while their fathers were in office or running for it.
KSL obtained the letter Curtis sent on Tuesday. His request follows comments he made only days earlier about a Bahamas wedding after-party held for the president’s oldest son.
Reports said a Russian oligarch covered the cost of that event. Curtis described the setup as something that “just stinks” and said it amounts to “corruption.” President Trump said his son repaid the oligarch.
Letter to judiciary leaders covers Bahamas party and other family dealings
Curtis pointed to reporting in the letter from ProPublica. That outlet said Umar Kremlev, an oligarch close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, secretly paid for the May gathering in the Bahamas where Trump Jr. marked his wedding to Bettina Anderson.
The report alleges the oligarch secretly funded part of the wedding, a claim the couple has addressed, as Donald Trump Jr. and his wife confirmed a Russian oligarch funded part of their wedding but called it a generous gift.
The senator also raised Trump Jr.’s promotion of cryptocurrency projects tied to the family. He cited ongoing international real estate efforts, including meetings with foreign heads of state, as well as reported stakes in defense contracting.
“Americans deserve confidence that public institutions serve them – not presidents, political parties, wealthy interests, or members of powerful families,” Curtis wrote. He said, “Congress has an obligation to pursue credible concerns wherever they lead and without regard to party.”
Curtis separately addressed Hunter Biden’s work with foreign firms. He said there is “little question” that Hunter Biden gained extra “access, name recognition, and influence that materially enhanced his value in business dealings and opened doors that otherwise may have remained closed” because of roles held by his father, former President Joe Biden.
“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 would not be in the best interests of the American people or our allies, and could even create national security vulnerabilities.”
Forbes estimated Trump Jr.’s net worth at about $300 million in December 2025. The magazine said that amount was six times what it had been a little over a year earlier, after his father won the November 2024 election, and linked much of the jump to the family’s cryptocurrency business.
NBC News reported in 2022 that Hunter Biden and his company brought in roughly $11 million from legal work, a board position at a Ukrainian energy firm, and ties to a Chinese businessman. Joe Biden later pardoned his son in late 2024 as Hunter Biden awaited sentencing on federal gun and tax convictions.
House Republicans had already reviewed Hunter Biden’s business activity during a nearly yearlong impeachment probe of Joe Biden. Curtis, who is not on the Judiciary Committee, asked the panel to review whether relatives of presidents have used those ties for private gain.
He wrote that “the purpose of such an inquiry should be straightforward: establish the facts, determine whether existing ethics, disclosure, or anti-corruption laws apply, and identify reforms necessary to prevent the presidency from becoming a vehicle for private enrichment by those closest to it.”
Fellow Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee sits on the Judiciary Committee. Lee has often defended President Trump and has not publicly addressed reports that Kremlev paid for the wedding after-party.
Published: Sep 22, 2026 11:00 am