Two top Senate Democrats are calling for President-elect Donald Trump’s potential appointees to be required to disclose any communications they had with Boris Epshteyn, a longtime Trump adviser, after allegations recently surfaced that Epshteyn was soliciting financial payments in connection to their efforts to secure government appointments.
“All nominees appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee should immediately act to retain all communications with Mr. Epshteyn, provide those materials to the Committee well in advance of their hearing date, and be prepared to testify regarding any discussions with Mr. Epshteyn about receiving a potential appointment in the incoming administration,” Democratic Sens. Richard Durbin of Illinois and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island wrote in a letter shared with CBS News and the conservative publication Just the News.
The letter was addressed to Republican Sens. Lindsay Graham of South Carolina and Chuck Grassley of Iowa, and also copied to Trump’s transition team leader Susie Wiles. It asks that the senior Republicans require any Trump appointees who come before the Judiciary Committee for confirmation to “preserve and produce to the Committee any communications with Mr. Epshteyn.”
The senators wrote that “questions remain regarding whether any nominees made promises or other assurances to Mr. Epshteyn as a condition of his support.”
A transition source called the letter a “pathetic Lawfare tactic.”
Epshteyn previously told CBS News he was honored to be working for President-elect Trump and that the allegations against him were patently false.
“These fake claims are false and defamatory and will not distract us from Making America Great Again,” Epshteyn said in his statement.
Graham’s office said it would defer comment to Grassley, the incoming Judiciary Committee chairman. A spokesperson for Grassley said in a statement, “Committee members will have the opportunity to ask nominees questions on these issues when they come before the Senate for a hearing.”
Last week, the New York Times reported that attorney David Warrington, who will be Trump’s incoming White House counsel, conducted a review into the allegations against Epshteyn and concluded that Epshteyn had solicited payment from at least two people. The Times reported that Warrington recommended that Trump keep his distance from Epshteyn.
Last month, CBS News reported that Trump’s transition team was grappling with internal strife over Epshteyn’s conduct related to possible candidates for positions in the Trump administration. At least one Republican politician, former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, alleged in a sworn declaration to the transition team that “Mr. Epshteyn’s overall tone and behavior 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.”
“This created a sense of unease and pressure on my part,” said the declaration, which was first obtained by the online publication Just the News and shared with CBS News. Greitens and his attorney, Timothy Parlatore, authenticated the one-page document to CBS News.
Parlatore, who has been critical of Epshteyn in the past, confirmed to CBS News that the declaration was submitted in connection with the internal investigation being conducted by Warrington, who also served as general counsel to the Trump campaign.
The Trump transition team confirmed it had conducted a review and now intended to move on from the issue, as first reported by CNN. “As is standard practice, a broad review of the campaign’s consulting agreements has been conducted and completed, including as to Boris, among others,” said transition spokesman Steven Cheung at the time. “We are now moving ahead together as a team to help President Trump Make America Great Again.”
