Boris Epshteyn, a veteran Trump aide, was investigated by attorneys for Donald Trump over allegations he was attempting to benefit financially from his close access to the President-elect, according to CNN, which cited multiple sources for its reporting.
CNN’s Sarah Murray reports (video below) the investigation “is an indication of how seriously some around Trump took these allegations that Boris Epshteyn was trying to charge people, essentially, for access to Trump and those in his orbit.”
The investigation was internal, not criminal, and came amid allegations that Epshteyn, an attorney who served on Trump’s first two campaigns and in the Trump White House, had attempted to charge, in one instance, a potential candidate as much as $100,000 a month for “services.”
The allegations, according to CNN, included “multiple instances of Epshteyn allegedly requesting payment in exchange for promoting candidates for administration positions or offering to connect individuals with people in the upcoming administration relevant to their industries, sources said.”
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Epshteyn, CNN adds, also lobbied Trump to name former U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz as his Attorney General nominee. Trump did, but Gaetz ultimately withdrew after it became clear the instigation into his alleged actions, including possible sex trafficking of a minor and sex with a minor, would likely make it difficult for even Republican Senators to vote to confirm him.
One of the allegations against Epshteyn included a claim that he had sought financial compensation from Scott Bessent, Trump’s nominee for U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, “to promote his name with Trump and others at Mar-a-Lago.” Bessent reportedly did not pay Epshteyn.
“The back-and-forth between Epshteyn and Bessent resulted in a heated confrontation last week in the lobby of Mar-a-Lago, where Epshteyn raised his voice at Bessent, according to two sources briefed on the matter,” CNN reported. “In at least one other instance, Epshteyn asked for payment in exchange for introductions and influence with the incoming Trump administration, according to two sources.”
CNN adds that “one person who spoke to the legal team that investigated Epshteyn” said, “The way I see it is it’s very much a pay-for-play.”
“This person described a separate incident in which Epshteyn allegedly tried to request payment for questionable consulting services, offering to connect the person with incoming administration officials relevant to their industry or lobbying firms that will be the most well-connected to the new administration,” according to CNN. “The investigator assured the person that their interaction with Epshteyn wasn’t an isolated incident.
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One person who spoke to Trump investigators said Epshteyn had “gone to everybody for it,” while another “brushed off the notion that this was pay-for-play.”
“This is how Washington works,” they said.
According to CNN, the investigators made an “initial recommendation that Epshteyn should be removed from Trump’s proximity and that he should not be employed or paid by Trump entities, according to two sources.” But, as of Monday afternoon, “it does not appear the transition team will heed that recommendation.”
Epshteyn, 43, is an American born in Russia. A Republican, he has a law degree from Georgetown Law, where he met Eric Trump. Politico reported the “two remained friends, with Epshteyn attending Trump’s 2014 Mar-a-Lago wedding. When Trump’s father launched his 2016 campaign, Epshteyn took on the role of emissary to traditional media.”
He also worked on rapid response issues for the Palin portion of the 2008 McCain-Palin presidential campaign.
In September of 2016, Media Matters reported that Epshteyn had “financial ties” to the former Soviet Union.
“Media outlets have been hosting Donald Trump senior adviser Boris Epshteyn, who has used the platform to defend Russian President Vladimir Putin from criticism and to claim that the Clintons, not Trump, have ‘been way too cozy with the Russians.’ Outlets have failed to disclose during discussions about Russia that Epshteyn has financial ties to the former Soviet Union, which include consulting for ‘entities doing business in Eastern Europe’ and moderating a Russian-sponsored conference on ‘investment opportunities in Moscow.’”
Epshteyn was indicted this year over his alleged role in a fake electors scheme in Arizona.
Last month, The New York Times reported Epshteyn was part of a group of Trump advisers who proposed that if Trump were elected, “he bypass traditional background checks by law enforcement officials and immediately grant security clearances to a large number of his appointees after being sworn in, according to three people briefed on the matter.”
Watch CNN’s report below or at this link.
Murray: We’re learning that lawyers for Trump have been investigating whether Boris Epshteyn sought to gain financially from his access to Donald Trump and others in Trump’s orbit.. pic.twitter.com/bKQbQd9zqm
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 25, 2024
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Image via Reuters