Trump’s Closest Ally May Be Scamming Him

Lawyers for Donald Trump investigated allegations of noncriminal influence peddling against one of the president-elect’s top aides, Boris Epshteyn, according to a CNN report published Monday.

Per CNN, the internal review examined “multiple instances of Epshteyn allegedly requesting payment in exchange for promoting candidates for administration positions or offering to connect individuals with people in the upcoming administration relevant to their industry.”

Semafor reported on the inquiry as well, describing it as “closely held and … ongoing, with no findings to date.”

In one alleged instance, Epshteyn requested as much as $100,000 a month for his services, which he has at times attempted “to sell as a type of consulting.” In another, he reportedly suggested that Scott Bessent, whom Trump nominated for treasury secretary on Friday, “pay him to promote his name with Trump and others at Mar-a-Lago”—a proposal that Bessent declined.

“The way I see it is it’s very much a pay-for-play,” a source who had spoken to the investigating team told CNN. The source recounted another instance in which Epshteyn allegedly sought payment for “questionable consulting services”—that is, arranging to connect someone “with incoming administration officials relevant to their industry or lobbying firms that will be the most well-connected to the new administration.”

CNN cited “half a dozen sources” who confirmed the internal investigation. Internal investigators initially recommended that Epshteyn “be removed from Trump’s proximity and that he should not be employed or paid by Trump entities”—which the Trump team seems unlikely to act on at present, according to CNN.

In a statement to CNN, Epshteyn said, “These fake claims are false and defamatory and will not distract us from Making America Great Again.”