Boris Epshteyn is probably not a household name, but for those who keep an eye on Donald Trump and those in his orbit, Epshteyn is a highly relevant figure.
He worked as a former special assistant to the then-president in the Trump White House seven years ago — he helped oversee the Republican’s TV surrogate operation — before leaving for reasons that were never fully explained. From there, Epshteyn joined the Sinclair Broadcasting Group, working as an on-air commentator. (Remember the “Bottom Line with Boris” segments?)
In the years that followed, Epshteyn worked his way back to Trump’s team and was even among the Republicans indicted as part of the fake-elector scheme. Two weeks ago, The New York Times profiled Epshteyn, his influential role as a member of Trump’s inner circle and the “extraordinary power” he’s received from the president-elect.
“Although there are those close to Mr. Trump who despise Mr. Epshteyn, there is nobody in the president-elect’s orbit who at this point would doubt the level of his influence,” the article explained. “He has quickly become one of the most powerful figures in the early days of the presidential transition, despite having no formal role in it. He has become a significant gatekeeper for Mr. Trump, including shaping some of the information he receives about personnel and cabinet selections.”
Two weeks later, however, there are new questions about how, exactly, Epshteyn has tried to use that position. The Washington Post reported:
A top adviser to President-elect Donald Trump asked potential administration nominees to give him monthly consulting fees in exchange for advocating for them to Trump, a written review by Trump’s legal team concluded. The scathing review of Boris Epshteyn, a top lawyer to Trump who has extensive sway in the transition, was prepared by Trump’s attorneys in recent days, according to two people familiar with the report.
While several other major news organizations have run similar reports, the story has not been independently verified by MSNBC or NBC News.
Nevertheless, the allegations, if true, are quite damaging. In fact, at face value, Epshteyn has been accused of running an old-fashioned shake-down scheme: He allegedly approached those seeking positions in the incoming Trump administration, told them he could use his influence to give them a boost, and simultaneously asked that they pay him lucrative consulting fees — including, by some accounts, up to $100,000 per month.
The allegations, in other words, are that Epshteyn launched a simple pay-to-play gambit, trying to cash in on his powerful position on Team Trump. This was uncovered, the reports added, by an “internal” investigation led by members of Trump’s operation.
When The Rachel Maddow Show reached out to Epshteyn for comment, he told us, “I am honored to work for President Trump and with his team. These fake claims are false and defamatory and will not distract us from Making America Great Again.”
Why does all of this matter? In part because it’s an early indication of what we can expect in the coming months and years from Trump and those around him. Epshteyn has clashed with some of his colleagues, which made it inevitable that they’d go after him. The infighting, backbiting and sabotage will almost certainly continue in the incoming White House, because that’s how Team Trump rolls.
But more important still is the nature of the allegations, the prospect that Trump administration positions might be perceived as being for sale and concerns about systemic corruption surrounding the Republican president-elect and his operation.
I don’t imagine we’ve heard the last of this one.
