President-elect Donald Trump responded to the widely reported internal investigation of longtime aide Boris Epshteyn.
According to multiple media outlet and first reported by Just the News, a nonpartisan news media brand, attorneys for Trump conducted an internal investigation into allegations that Epshteyn has looked for financial gain from his influence with Trump.
Trump told Just the News in a brief interview, "I suppose every President has people around them who try to make money off them on the outside. It's a shame but it happens," he said. "But no one working for me in any capacity should be looking to make money. They should only be here to Make America Great Again."
He continued to Just the News: "No one can promise any endorsement or nomination except me. I make these decisions on my own, period."
CNN reported that there were two specific instances where Epshteyn tried to gain financially from his connections with Trump.
He reportedly asked Scott Bessent, Trump's nominee to become Secretary of Treasury, for payment in exchange for Epshteyn promoting Bessent's name around Mar-a-Lago.
In addition, Epshteyn allegedly asked for payment to connect Bessent with people relevant to his industry in the incoming administration. CNN's Sara Marray said half a dozen insiders confirmed these reports.
Just the News, which reportedly reviewed documents related to the investigation, wrote that over a dozen candidates for congressional election or job seekers in the new Trump administration said Epshteyn pitched them for consulting work worth between $10,000 to $100,000 per month, dating back to 2022. Bessent, a hedge fund manager, was pitched on one of these consulting contracts.
"As is standard practice, a broad review of the campaign's consulting agreements has been conducted and completed, including as to Boris, among others. We are now moving ahead together as a team to help President Trump Make America Great Again," Transition official Aaron Harison sent Just the News on behalf of Trump's spokesman Steven Cheung.
Newsweek reached out to the Trump campaign for additional comment.
Epshteyn denied the claims.
"I am honored to work for President Trump and with his team," Epshteyn said in a statement to CNN. "These fake claims are false and defamatory and will not distract us from Making America Great Again."
Epshteyn was previously a part of an alleged confrontation at Mar-a-Lago with billionaire Elon Musk.
CNN reported that Epshteyn and Bessent also had a shouting match with Epshteyn threatening to sue Bessent.
The fighting allegedly started over who Trump should pick for his Cabinet, Axios reported.
Sources told the site that Musk was questioning whether Epshteyn had too much influence on Trump's selections. However, Musk was also pushing for his own favorites.
At one point during the dinner, a "massive blowup" and a "huge explosion" took place after Musk allegedly accused Epshteyn of leaking details about Trump's transition plans. Epshteyn allegedly said he didn't know what Musk was talking about.
According to Axios, the tension between the two has been brewing since before the November 5 election.
Who Is Boris Epshteyn?
Russian-American Epshteyn, who was born in Moscow before moving to the U.S., met Trump through his son, Eric Trump, whom he was friends with at Georgetown University, reported Politico.
In 2008, Epshteyn served as the communications aide with former Senator John McCain and former Governor Sarah Palin campaign.
In 2016, he acted as a senior adviser to Trump's campaign. Epshteyn joined Trump's 2016 campaign as a communications aide and appeared on television to defend the former president. Epshteyn later work as communications director for Trump's inaugural committee before later joining the 2020 campaign as an adviser for coalitions.
Sinclair Broadcast Group hired Epshteyn in 2017 as a senior political analyst. His segment ended in 2019.
For Trump's 2020 reelection campaign, Epshteyn served as the strategic adviser and co-chair of the Jewish Voices for Trump Advisory Board.
He has remained by Trump's side now for many years and is considered a leading figure in the President-elect's inner circle. Epshteyn is believed to be the sixth co-conspirator included in a 2023 criminal indictment against the former president.
In April, when Trump arrived in New York for his historic arraignment over falsifying business records charges, Epshteyn sat beside the former president in the courtroom as he pleaded not guilty to 34 charges.
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