Trump Slams Supreme Court; Blanche Defends Him on Ballots and Wedding Funding

US Attorney General Todd Blanche defended President Donald Trump on two fronts on Tuesday, backing his criticism of the Supreme Court over mail-in voting while brushing aside questions about a Russian billionaire’s financial contribution to Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding festivities.

Blanche said the administration would obey the court’s decision keeping new postal-ballot restrictions on hold ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. He nevertheless defended Trump’s right to attack the ruling and signalled that the administration’s efforts to change voting rules would continue.

At the same White House briefing, Blanche rejected suggestions that the Justice Department should investigate reports that businessman Umar Kremlev had paid for parts of the president’s son’s wedding weekend in the Bahamas.

Supreme Court Keeps Trump’s Mail-Ballot Restrictions on Hold

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to reinstate provisions of Trump’s March executive order that would have imposed additional requirements on mail-in voting.

The proposed changes included requiring states to provide voter-specific information and use US Postal Service-approved envelopes carrying barcodes. The court left an earlier injunction in place, determining that election authorities lacked sufficient time to implement the changes before the midterms.

The decision preserves existing arrangements for the forthcoming vote. Trump has repeatedly alleged that mail-in voting is vulnerable to fraud without providing supporting evidence.

Responding on Truth Social, the president called the ruling “horrible” and “highly political”, directing his anger at a court whose six-to-three conservative majority includes three justices he appointed during his first term: Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

“These are not the people I interviewed to serve on the United States Supreme Court, they are merely a shell of their original selves,” Trump wrote.

“The Supreme Court has really let our Country down! Certain Justices are petrified of these crazed and depraved Democrats, and are totally unable to show the courage necessary to save our America,” he added.

In another criticism, Trump alleged that the court was being “bullied and cajoled by the Radical Left” into decisions that had set the country back.

Blanche Promises Compliance but Signals More Voting Changes

Blanche said the president’s anger would not prevent the administration from following the ruling.

“Of course we are going to comply with the Supreme Court’s decision,” he told journalists on Tuesday.

However, he left open the possibility of further efforts to change mail-in voting arrangements before the 2028 presidential election.

“President Trump’s efforts to make sure that we have free and fair elections are not going to stop just in November or after or thereafter. So I expect you’re going to see that work continue,” Blanche said.

He also defended Trump’s criticism of the justices as an expression of frustration with another branch of government.

“He has every right, and indeed he should communicate his concerns with the Supreme Court whenever he has them. This isn’t the first time that he’s done it, and it won’t be the last,” he said.

The confrontation comes despite significant Supreme Court victories for Trump, including its 2024 ruling establishing broad criminal immunity for presidential official acts. The court also recently allowed construction on his White House ballroom project to proceed following a legal challenge by preservationists.

Russian Billionaire’s Wedding Gift Draws Questions

Blanche also faced questions about Kremlev’s role in financing Trump Jr.’s wedding celebrations, following disclosures reported by ProPublica and the Financial Times.

According to the Financial Times, Kremlev spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the wedding weekend. The businessman heads the International Boxing Association and has been described in reporting as having close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He is also a member of the Russian nationalist motorcycle organisation Night Wolves.

Trump Jr. and his wife, Bettina Trump, also known as Bettina Anderson, acknowledged in a joint Instagram statement that Kremlev had sponsored parts of their reception. They thanked their “dear friend Umar” for paying for “two incredible nights of celebrations”.

The couple described the contribution as “an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend” and said they were “incredibly grateful”.

The disclosure drew scrutiny from Robert Garcia, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee.

“Umar Kremlev spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the president’s son. What did he get in return? We need answers,” Garcia said.

The couple rejected suggestions of a political purpose behind the gift.

“Friendship doesn’t require a political motive. Generosity doesn’t automatically come with an agenda,” they said, adding: “NO CONSPIRACY, NO MYSTERY.”

Blanche Dismisses Calls for Justice Department Scrutiny

Asked about Kremlev, Blanche said: “The president doesn’t know who this person is. I think other members of the family don’t know who this person is.”

His response sat alongside the couple’s public description of the billionaire as a friend. When pressed on whether the Justice Department was investigating, Blanche replied: “When you say, ‘Am I investigating?’ Am I investigating what?”

He also played down suggestions linking Kremlev directly to Putin. CNN reported that the businessman received an Order of Friendship decoration from the Russian president in April and accompanied him on a state visit to China in May.

The Financial Times has previously reported that Kremlev presented Putin with a diamond boxing glove before receiving the Order of Merit to the Fatherland.

Blanche maintained that the family had already addressed the matter.

“I like that it’s fun to talk about this issue and the rhetoric around it, but I think all the relevant people involved, the president, his kids, have already addressed it,” he said.

With inputs from ANI