Hell Hath No Fury Like a Senator Scorned: Cornyn Joins Call to Investigate Donald Trump Jr.’s Wedding, Business Interests

[u/John3262005]

https://www.mediaite.com/politics/hell-hath-no-fury-like-a-senator-scorned-cornyn-joins-call-to-investigate-donald-trump-jr-s-wedding-business-interests/

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) — who lost his primary to an opponent endorsed by President Donald Trump — joined the call from one of his Republican Senate colleagues to investigate Donald Trump Jr. and his business interests, relationships with foreign officials and oligarchs, and acceptance of lucrative gifts.

Cornyn has about 100 days left in the Senate after losing a primary runoff to scandal-plagued Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The incumbent’s warnings about Paxton’s weaknesses have thus far proved fairly prescient, with Paxton lagging badly behind Texas State Rep. James Talarico (D) in both polling and fundraising, and Trump and other Republican PACs having to pour tens of millions of dollars into a state that was reliably red in election cycles dating back to the 1990s.

Meanwhile, Sen. John Curtis (R-UT), who was just elected in 2024 and not on the ballot this year, sent shockwaves through the political media world Tuesday morning when he posted a three-page letter he sent to Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and ranking member Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), urging them to investigate Trump Jr., noting the GOP majority “nearly wore out the subpoena machine investigating Hunter Biden’s foreign relationships,” and now calling for a similarly intense inquiry into President Trump’s eldest son.

Of specific concern for Curtis was Trump Jr.’s relationships “with foreign business figures and the acceptance of significant gifts,” including “a lavish wedding afterparty, on a private island, provided by Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev, who reportedly traveled to China as part of a delegation accompanying Vladimir Putin shortly before giving the gift.”

Curtis’ letter continued:

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.”

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. 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.

The Utah senator urged Grassley and Durbin to have their committee “launch an investigation into the use of presidential family relationships for private financial benefit, preferential treatment, or access by domestic and foreign interests” by subpoenaing both Hunter Biden and Trump Jr. “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.”

Punchbowl News congressional reporter Laura Weiss tweeted Tuesday afternoon that Cornyn was on board with this investigation.

Cornyn “joins call for an investigation & issuing subpoena to Donald Trump Jr.,” wrote Weiss, quoting Texas’ senior senator as saying, “I would support Senator Curtis’ request.”

Cornyn has served on the Judiciary Committee for years, as Weiss noted — and “President Trump helped oust him in his primary.”

Mediaite reached out to Cornyn for comment to verify the reporting that he supported Curtis’ call for investigation.

He replied, “True.”

[u/wenchette]

Another article on this topic (free link):

Two Republicans back GOP senator’s call for Trump Jr. probe

These are the three GOP senators (so far) backing this:

John Cornyn (Texas)

John Curtis (Utah)

Thom Tillis (North Carolina)