
Transition of Power
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President-elect Donald J. Trump instructed his legal team to investigate accusations against Boris Epshteyn, a key member of the transition team, for allegedly soliciting money in exchange for promoting potential appointees. Epshteyn has denied these allegations.
Written by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan.
President-elect Donald J. Trump’s legal team has discovered proof that a senior adviser requested payment in advance from potential appointees to help them secure positions in the upcoming administration, according to five individuals who were informed about the situation on Monday.
After receiving warnings from individuals he trusts, Mr. Trump instructed his team to investigate his adviser Boris Epshteyn, who was responsible for managing legal defenses in Mr. Trump’s criminal cases and played a significant role in the transition. It was reported that Mr. Epshteyn was allegedly soliciting money from individuals seeking appointments, according to three sources briefed on the situation.
Recently, David Warrington, who served as the general counsel for the Trump campaign, carried out a review. The findings of this review were shared with The New York Times. It was found in the review that Boris Epshteyn, a member of the Trump campaign, had requested payment from two individuals, one of whom is Scott Bessent, the nominee for Treasury secretary chosen by Mr. Trump.
As per the report, Mr. Epshteyn met with Mr. Bessent in February when it was well-known that he was vying for the Treasury position. He suggested paying $30,000 to $40,000 monthly to help elevate Mr. Bessent’s profile at Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s Florida estate.
Mr. Bessent refused to participate and also declined another invitation from Mr. Epshteyn to invest in a three-on-three basketball league. However, he went along with it to avoid upsetting someone as influential as Mr. Epshteyn in Mr. Trump’s circle.
Afterwards, Mr. Bessent phoned Mr. Epshteyn on November 14 to inquire if he had been speaking negatively about him to individuals close to Mr. Trump, as stated in the investigation. Mr. Epshteyn replied that it was too late to consider hiring him and identified himself as "Boris Epshteyn," adding an offensive word between the names. He then hinted that the potential job offer was for consulting services.
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