Cornyn backs Curtis subpoena request
John CornynRepublican U.S. senator from Texas and senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, speaking to reporters after a GOP leadership meeting
Sen. John Cornyn said after a GOP leadership meeting that he backed Sen. Curtis request for the Senate Judiciary Committee to subpoena Donald Trump Jr. over the Kremlev-funded wedding celebration.
“Im with Sen. Curtis. I would support Sen. Curtiss request.”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Should the Senate Judiciary Committee Subpoena Donald Trump Jr. Over His Kremlev-Funded Wedding Celebration?
Russian businessman Umar Kremlev, president of the International Boxing Association and a Putin ally sanctioned by Ukraine, helped fund a private-island celebration for Donald Trump Jr. and Bettina Trump's May 2026 wedding, including a fireworks show, ProPublica reported in September 2026. Bettina Trump acknowledged the arrangement on Instagram, calling Kremlev a "dear friend." The same day, President Trump told NBC News he had "no idea who Umar is, never heard of him," and called it "not a big deal." Four days later, in the Oval Office, Trump instead defended the arrangement as "totally allowed" and said he understood Kremlev had been repaid. On September 21, Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) wrote the Senate Judiciary Committee asking it to subpoena both Donald Trump Jr. and Hunter Biden, arguing the episode and Hunter Biden's past foreign business dealings both raise questions about "the use of presidential family relationships for private financial benefit." The Judiciary Committee had not committed to acting as of this writing.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
The Hill reports Sen. John Cornyns September 22 comment backing Sen. Curtiss request for the Judiciary Committee to subpoena Donald Trump Jr. Used to attribute Cornyns position, not to establish the underlying allegations about Trump Jr. or Kremlev.
Before the quotation
Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) had asked the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 21 to subpoena Donald Trump Jr. over the Kremlev-funded wedding celebration, and Sen. Dick Durbin had already said he would join in supporting that request.
After the quotation
The Hill reported Sen. Thom Tillis, another Judiciary Committee member, separately said the arrangement raised serious questions but stopped short of endorsing a subpoena immediately.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to whether the Judiciary Committee should subpoena Donald Trump Jr., Cornyn expressly aligns himself with Curtis request for that subpoena. This follows the classification already applied to Sen. Durbin similar statement of support for Curtis request in this case: backing an investigation into conduct under scrutiny is treated as a condemnation of leaving that conduct unexamined, not as a defense of Trump Jr. It is not “Defended or excused”, since Cornyn says nothing in justification of the wedding arrangement itself; it is not “Mixed or conditional”, since his support carries no stated condition.
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- Donald Trump Jr.
More from this case
Read the full caseTrump Jr.'s spokesperson calls the Kremlev tie a personal friendship
“Don has made clear that he has a personal friendship, not a business relationship, with Umar. Their friendship is largely based on their shared love for hunting, fishing and the outdoors. It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that they went hunting together earlier this year”Read statement
Emmer calls the proposed Trump Jr. inquiry a partisan distraction
“This partisan distraction is NOT what the American people voted for!”Read statement
Jim Banks opposes a Senate inquiry into Trump Jr. over the wedding celebration
“Don Jr. is a businessman, not an administration official. There is no evidence he sold access to the presidency. That is the difference between him and Hunter Biden and it is not a small one. The Senate should investigate actual crimes, not manufacture fake ones.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Cornyn backs Curtis subpoena request". First published: 2026-09-23. Last updated: 2026-09-23. https://disputeindex.com/events/1559-sen-john-cornyn-said-after-a-gop-leadership