The Wedding Trap

I f you were a Russian intelligence operative trying to penetrate the American president’s inner circle, you could hardly have done much better than Umar Kremlev did last May.

Kremlev, a boxing promoter from outside Moscow, rented a private island in the Bahamas for Donald Trump Jr. to host his uber-luxe wedding celebration.

Four of President Trump’s children, along with their spouses, were sequestered with Kremlev and a gaggle of other Russians during a party that lasted for three days, according to an investigation by ProPublica published last week.

The guest list of family and close friends included the president’s two sons-in-law: Jared Kushner, one of his key interlocutors with Moscow, and Michael Boulos, whose father is a senior adviser to Trump on Arab and Middle Eastern Affairs.

A VIP party like that is what spies call a target-rich environment.

“It’s an intelligence service;s dream to have so much time with these people, when alcohol is flowing and people’s guards are down,” Marc Polymeropoulos, who used to oversee the CIA’s clandestine operations in Russia, told me.

When foreign agents gain access to such a setting, “they are building relationships, gaining assessment data on targets, and perhaps even setting future contact, all precisely part of the recruitment cycle.” Kremlev shelled out for one night on a private island, as well as a fireworks display, which together can cost upwards of $170,000—a pittance, given the potential payoff.

The president, who didn’t attend the wedding, defended the gift, claiming that he, too, had thrown wedding parties for people.

“With all of that being said, I understand that Don’s paid him back,” Trump told reporters on Friday, although he didn’t say how much money his son planned to reimburse the Russian.

The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Robert Garcia of California, has started an investigation.

And yesterday, a Republican senator, John Curtis of Utah, called on his colleagues to investigate the wedding reception and issue a subpoena for Trump Jr.

Kremlev, who did not respond to a request for comment, has been sanctioned by Ukraine, but not by the United States.

He owes his position, and apparently his wealth, to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.

Current and former intelligence officials in the United States and Europe who have spent their careers working against Russia told me that his gift to Trump’s son should be viewed as the continuation of a longstanding state effort to influence and potentially compromise people in the president’s orbit.