Two top Democrats in the Senate are demanding that President Donald Trump’s potential appointees be required to disclose any communications they have had with Boris Epshteyn, a longtime Trump adviser. allegations have surfaced recently that Epshteyn requested financial payments in connection with their efforts to secure government appointments.
“All nominees appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee must take immediate action to maintain all communications with Mr. Epshteyn, provide this material to the committee well in advance of the hearing date, and be prepared to testify regarding any discussions with Mr. Epshteyn on receiving a possible appointment to the new administration,” Democratic Sens. wrote. Richard Durbin of Illinois and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island 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 Susie Wiles, the leader of Trump’s transition team. It asks that senior Republicans demand that any Trump appointees coming to the Judiciary Committee for confirmation “maintain and submit to the Committee all communications with Mr. Epshteyn.”
The senators wrote that “questions remain as to whether 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 that he was honored to work for President-elect Trump and that the allegations against him were patently false.
“These false 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 new Judiciary Committee chairman. A spokesperson for Grassley said in a statement: “Committee members will have the opportunity to ask nominees questions about these issues when they appear before the Senate for a hearing.”
Last week, the New York Times reported that attorney David Warrington, Trump’s incoming White House counsel, conducted an investigation into the allegations against Epshteyn and concluded that Epshteyn had solicited payments 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 regarding potential candidates for positions in the Trump administration. At least one Republican politician, former Missouri Governor Eric Greitens, claimed in an affidavit to the transition team that “Mr. Epshteyn’s general tone and behavior gave me the impression of an implicit expectation to engage in business transactions with him before he would advocate for or propose my appointment as President.”
“This created a sense of unease and pressure on my part,” said the statement, which was first obtained by the online publication Just the News and shared with CBS News. Greitens and his attorney, Timothy Parlatore, verified the one-page document with CBS News.
Parlatore, who has been critical of Epshteyn in the past, confirmed to CBS News that the statement was filed in connection with the internal investigation conducted by Warrington, who also served as general counsel to the Trump campaign.
Trump’s transition team confirmed it had conducted a review and now planned to move forward with the matter, as first reported by CNN. “As usual, a broad review of the campaign’s advisory agreements has been conducted and completed, including in relation to Boris, among others,” transition spokesman Steven Cheung said at the time. “We will now move forward together as a team to help President Trump make America great again.”
