Trump Transition: Why is aide Boris Epshteyn under investigation?

Boris Epshteyn, a long-time adviser to Donald Trump and member of his transition team, has been accused of seeking payments from people to promote them for roles in the incoming administration.

He has called the allegations, which were the subject of an internal investigation by Trump’s legal team, “false and defamatory”.

The Trump campaign said in a statement it is moving on from the issue after reviewing consulting agreements. The investigation and accusations were first reported by conservative outlet Just the News.

Epshteyn is a highly visible member of Trump’s inner circle, appearing beside his boss in court both during a criminal trial earlier this year and on stage when Trump delivered his election victory speech this month.

Epshteyn has been indicted in Arizona for allegedly working to overturn the state’s lawful 2020 election results in order to help Trump remain in the White House after he lost to President Joe Biden.

Former Missouri Governor Eric Greitens, a Republican, submitted a sworn declaration to Trump’s transition team making the allegations.

He wrote that Epshteyn’s “overall tone and behaviour 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”.

The BBC’s news partner CBS News obtained and authenticated a copy of the declaration.

“It was important to me to protect the president because I was concerned about the ethics of what was happening,” Greitens told CBS News. “Very specifically, I was concerned that there was an offer to advance a nomination in return for financial payments.”

Greitens was vying for an appointment as US Navy Secretary and contacted Epshteyn for assistance, CBS reported. He said Epshteyn indicated he would consider suggesting him for the position if there was financial consideration.

Greitens wrote that this created “a sense of unease and pressure on my part”.

In a statement denying the accusations, Epshteyn called them “fake claims” and vowed they would not distract from the incoming administration’s work.

Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump’s transition team, said in a statement that a “broad review” of the campaign’s agreements with Epshteyn and other consultants had been completed, and the team was “now moving ahead”.

Trump had referenced the investigation during an interview on Just the News, a conservative news outlet, where he said he does not condone staffers soliciting consulting fees from those seeking jobs in his administration.

“No-one can promise any endorsement or nomination except me,” he said. “I make these decisions on my own, period.”

Trump’s son, Eric, connected his father with Epshteyn after they were classmates at Georgetown University.

Epshteyn’s career with the Trump team started as a staffer during the president-elect’s run for office in the 2016 presidential election. He earned a junior White House communications position when Trump first won office.

He resigned unexpectedly two months later. It is unclear why.

But he has remained a loyal and close confidant of the President.

Epshteyn has served as an adviser and attorney to Trump, helping run the president-elect’s legal teams.

These teams have overseen multiple criminal cases involving the former president and have been successful in delaying and postponing several of the legal battles.

“I’ve known Boris for years, and I’ve never known him to be anything but a good human being,” Eric Trump said in a Fox News interview on Monday.

“I certainly hope the reporting is false and I can also tell you if it’s true, you know, the person will probably no longer be around,” he added.

The New York Times reported Epshteyn played a role in recommending that former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz serve as attorney general.

Gaetz withdrew his name after facing pushback on his nomination from his Republican colleagues in Congress.

There are some others who have questioned Epshteyn’s motives, US media reports.

Tech mogul and billionaire Elon Musk, who has become a member of Trump’s inner circle, has reportedly inquired about Epshteyn’s influence on Trump.

CNN reported that Musk and Epshteyn had a confrontation at Mar-a-Lago with Musk making several accusations against the long-time adviser.

In June, Epshteyn pleaded not guilty to felony charges in a case related to overturning the 2020 presidential election results in Arizona.