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WP: Trumpʼs adviser demanded bribes from those who wanted to enter the Administration of the President of the United States

Author:
Oleksandra Opanasenko
Date:

Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press

One of the advisers of the US President-elect Donald Trump Boris Epstein demanded bribes from those who wanted to get into the US Presidentʼs Administration.

This is reported by The Washington Post (WP) with reference to a written report by Trumpʼs legal team.

The report was allegedly ordered by Trump himself after learning that Epstein had solicited money from potential candidates for his administration.

According to two people familiar with the report, one of the people Epstein wanted money from but didnʼt get was Scott Bessent, Trumpʼs previous nominee for Treasury secretary.

According to WP, a day after Bessentʼs first meeting with Trump in February 2024, Epstein invited Bessent to lunch. There he asked him for a monthly fee of at least $30 000 to promote his candidacy, but Bessent refused.

Later, Epstein asked him for $10 million, which he had to invest in a basketball league. Bessent again refused, although he believed that if he invested money, Epstein would treat him more favorably. One day, Epstein began to threaten Bessent.

Besides, Bessent wasnʼt the only one Epstein could have extorted money from. Others named in the report by Trumpʼs lawyers included a defense contractor. Epstein allegedly asked him for $100 000 every month, saying that he knew "who to talk to in the Ministry of Defense" and that the future of his business depended on it. However, the contractor refused.

Boris Epstein

Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press

Epstein himself denied the allegations, saying that "these false claims are false and defamatory". However, the report cited by WP advised Trump to stop working with Epstein and warned Epstein of the possibility of criminal charges against him.

Boris Epstein was born in Russia and spent his childhood there. He himself says that he has relatives both in Ukraine and in the Russian Federation. The American newspaper The New York Times, citing sources, wrote that Epstein nominated himself for the post of special envoy for the settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

During Trumpʼs first presidency, Epstein worked on the communications team at the White House, but left the position in 2017 due to "problems with access to state secrets." He coordinated legal defense in criminal cases against Trump, including payments to porn star Stormy Daniels. The NYT sources also say that it was Epstein who promoted Matt Gatesʼ candidacy for the US attorney general.

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