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Top Democratic lawmakers are demanding all communications between President-elect Trump’s Cabinet nominees and his adviser, Boris Epshteyn, amid allegations that Epshteyn sought payment to advocate for individuals vying for roles in the incoming administration.
Some shit you should know before you read: Last month, allegations surfaced that Boris Epshteyn, a longtime adviser to President-elect Trump, sought payments from individuals in exchange for promoting their consideration for roles within the incoming administration. Reports from multiple outlets revealed that Epshteyn proposed monthly fees of $30,000 to $40,000 to advocate for individuals such as Scott Bessent, Trump’s nominee for Treasury Secretary, who declined the offer. Additionally, Epshteyn asked some individuals for as much as $100,000 to facilitate their appointments. Following these revelations, Trump’s transition team reviewed the claims internally, concluding that Epshteyn had made such requests. Despite this, Epshteyn has denied the accusations, calling them “defamatory.”
What’s going on now: This week, Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) called for all communications between President-elect Trump’s Cabinet nominees and adviser Boris Epshteyn to be preserved and submitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee. The senators demanded that nominees immediately retain these materials and provide them to the Committee before their confirmation hearings. They further insisted that nominees be prepared to testify about any discussions with Epshteyn, specifically those related to potential appointments. The request also urged senior Republicans on the Judiciary Committee to mandate that all Trump appointees produce these communications to ensure transparency and accountability in the vetting process.
Concerns about vetting: This all comes as some of President-elect Trump’s nominees may fail to pass FBI vetting due to their backgrounds and potential security vulnerabilities. Figures such as Tulsi Gabbard, nominated for Director of National Intelligence, and Sebastian Gorka, tapped for a role in the National Security Council, face scrutiny for controversial past actions, including Gabbard’s meeting with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and Gorka’s prior issues obtaining a security clearance. Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth is also under fire for controversies that raise fears of foreign compromise. Adding to the controversy, reports indicate that some unnamed nominees will only undergo the standard FBI background checks once Trump takes office.
Congressman Jamie Raskin, who sits on the Oversight Committee, has called on Trump’s transition team to confirm that all his nominees will go through the FBI’s vetting process now. In a letter obtained by the Hill, he wrote, “While I understand the Trump-Vance Transition has reached an agreement with the Department of Justice that makes it possible for the FBI to conduct background checks, it remains unclear whether the Transition will require nominees to submit to them. Given this muddled record, I urge you to clearly and unequivocally commit to requiring that all nominees undergo FBI background checks and submit to vetting before receiving access to classified information.”
Trump’s transition team has yet to respond to a request for comment.
