Trump transition lawyers have conducted an internal investigation into whether longtime top adviser Boris Epshteyn shook down officials seeking jobs in the next Trump administration, according to reports.
At least one Republican politician accused Epshteyn of trying to profit personally from his close connections to Donald Trump and ability to influence the president-elect’s Cabinet choices, according to CBS News.
Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens submitted a sworn declaration to the transition team alleging that “Mr. Epshteyn’s overall tone and behavior gave me the impression of an implicit expectation to engage in business dealings with him before he would advocate for or suggest my appointment to the President.”
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In the declaration, which was first obtained by Just the News, the former governor said that he felt a “sense of unease and pressure” and he said he was “concerned about the ethics of what was happening.”
“Very specifically, I was concerned that there was an offer to advance a nomination in return for financial payments,” Greitens said.
Greitens, who reportedly approached Epshteyn about the position of Nave secretary, told CBS News in an interview that he came forward in order to “protect the president because I was concerned about the ethics of what was happening."
“Very specifically, I was concerned that there was an offer to advance a nomination in return for financial payments,” Greitens told the network.
Epshteyn denied the allegations. "These fake claims are false and defamatory and will not distract us from Making America Great Again," said the Russian-born Trump confidant.
In one instance Epshteyn requested as much as $100,000 per month in exchange for his services, according to CNN, which cited sources familiar with the matter. Epshteyn has not been accused of illegal behavior.
“During the conversation, despite the absence of an explicit offer, Mr. Epshteyn’s comments and demeanor suggested that he might entertain offering a position in the administration in exchange for financial consideration, but such an offer would happen in a subsequent discussion,” Greitens wrote in his declaration to Trump’s transition team. “He stated that there would be ‘time for that later’ and that it was ‘not time for that yet.’”
A Trump spokesperson said the internal investigation was not limited to Epshteyn.
“As is standard practice, a broad review of the campaign’s consulting agreements has been conducted and completed, including as to Boris, among others,” Steven Cheung, who Trump has named as his White House communications director, said in a statement to CNN. “We are now moving ahead together as a team to help President Trump Make America Great Again.”
Part of that review, according to CNN, focused on claims that Epshteyn proposed that Scott Bessent, Trump’s Treasury secretary nominee, pay him to promote his name in Trump’s orbit. Bessent did not make payments to Epshteyn, CNN reported.
Epshteyn and Bessent wound up in a heated argument last week in the lobby of Mar-a-Lago, where Epshteyn raised his voice at Bessent, according to CNN.
Just days ago, billionaire Elon Musk reportedly accused Epshteyn of leaking the names of Cabinet picks to the media, an encounter that was described as a “huge explosion.”
