When Donald Trump learned that federal prosecutors would drop two cases against him Monday afternoon, his first call was to Boris Epshteyn, the adviser who had assembled his legal teams.
The call was to congratulate him and thank him for his work, two sources familiar with the conversation said.
But it also sent another signal through the Trump universe: Boris had survived.
For two weeks, rivals leaked details of his clashes with other members of the team at Mar-a-Lago.
And the sniping entered full public view on Monday with well-substantiated stories that the Trump transition had investigated claims that Epshteyn sought money in exchange for his influence on top administration choices.
In particular, it was investigated whether Epshteyn had asked Scott Bessent, who was ultimately selected as Treasury secretary last week, to pay him in exchange for getting his name out to Trump and other key figures.
There was no crime.
But insiders said they were furious that an adviser was offering his influence in exchange for cash.
Boris Epshteyn is Donald Trump’s chief legal adviser and has built the teams that have defended the former president in four criminal cases over the past two years
Trump has been holed up in his Florida headquarters, Mar-a-Lago, since his November 5 election victory, building up his White House and Cabinet ahead of January’s return.
“This is what makes the base angry,” said one source.
In a public statement, Epshteyn dismissed the claims as “fake.”
An affidavit obtained by DailyMail.com also casts doubt on some of the allegations.
Attorney Gregory Roeberg described being in Epshteyn’s car on November 14 in Florida.
Epshteyn appeared to be having a hands-free phone conversation with Bessent, who he said “abruptly changed the course of the conversation” to tell Epshteyn he wanted a “consultation.”
Roeberg said he understood this to be an “improper payment” for helping Bessent get a post in the administration.
‘Sir. Epshteyn at that point in the conversation became extremely irritated with Mr Bessent and advised that the subject being discussed was completely inappropriate at the time and Mr Epshteyn expressed his insult that Mr Bessent would propose that arrangement,” he said in his signed letter. statement.
‘Sir. Epshteyn used expressions such as: ‘I’m Boris, damn Epshteyn, you can’t buy me’. The conversation ended after it became briefly contentious.”
The review was conducted by the transition team’s top lawyer, David Warrington.
Attorney Gregory Roeburg signed an affidavit saying he heard Epshteyn conclude a conversation about his appointment as counsel
Epshteyn was at Mar-a-Lago on election night, seen here behind Trump, UFC CEO Dana White and SpaceX billionaire Elon Musk in a VIP area
Investor Scott Bessent is campaigning with Trump, who tapped him last week to become his Treasury Secretary
And according to CBS News, it included an affidavit from former Missouri Governor Eric Greitens.
‘Sir. “Epshteyn’s general tone and behavior gave me the impression of an implicit expectation to enter into business transactions with him before advocating or proposing my appointment as president,” he said.
Greitens’ name, however, often provokes snickers among Trump loyalists. He was forced to resign as governor amid multiple scandals.
He was charged with invasion of privacy following a 2015 affair in which his former hairdresser claimed he tied her up, forced her to perform oral sex and threatened to blackmail her with photos. All charges were eventually dropped, but it was enough to derail the career of a rising star.
When the Trump transition released its assessment from the assessment, the statement was surprisingly bland.
“As usual, a broad review of the campaign’s consultancy agreements has been carried out and completed, including in relation to Boris,” the transition manager said.
“We will now move forward together as a team to help President Trump make America great again.”
Around the same time, suggestions that Epshteyn would be sidelined seemed to disappear when Special Counsel Jack Smith announced he was dropping two lawsuits: one over Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and one over government documents found at Mar -a. -Lago.
Trump quickly thanked his top legal adviser, who had assembled the teams that defended him in court and put into practice a strategy of denial, deflection and delay that kept him out of harm’s way until he took over the Justice Department.
Epshteyn is seen here with Trump’s legal team at the Manhattan Federal Courthouse in New York during the former president’s arraignment in April 2023
Epshteyn was always present during Trump’s hush money trial in New York this year
“Boris has been doing this longer than a lot of these other faces and will be around long after they’re gone,” said a former Trump administration official.
Another said: ‘We all move on.’
The battle also illustrates how team Trump’s cohesion has weakened after Election Day. Without the shared struggle to defeat first Joe Biden and then Kamala Harris, some of the old divisions that plagued Trump’s first term have resurfaced.
Epshteyn knows the dangers better than most. He arrived in the early days of the first Trump campaign, having met Eric Trump during their time together at Georgetown University.
He was among the loyal advisers who supported Trump during his exile in Mar-a-Lago after the 2020 election defeat and the January 6 violence.
He was instrumental in building the legal teams that defended Trump in four criminal cases related to the election, government documents found in his Florida home and a hush money case.
That has given him a special place in the Trump world, where the president-elect’s favorability can sometimes be fickle.
Since his November 5 election victory, he has managed to install two allies in key positions. Todd Blanche, from Trump’s legal team in New York, was named deputy attorney general, although his other choice, Matt Gaetz, withdrew as USAG after eight turbulent days.
And his star should have been at its highest on Monday, when Special Counsel Jack Smith announced he was dropping two federal cases against Trump.
Instead, he fought off the latest round of briefings, in a sign of how the Trump world is fragmenting.
“Boris is a cockroach who is despised by everyone,” says a source. “He’s shamelessly selling access and jobs.”
Insiders described rival spheres of influence sometimes competing for Trump’s attention.
Epshteyn is one of the survivors of Trump’s first term. He is seen here with other advisors from Ohio State University in November 2016
Epshteyn with Matt Gaetz, who resigned last week as Trump’s nominee for attorney general when it became clear he faced a difficult confirmation
Trump supporters gathered on the causeway leading to Mar-A-Lago
One consists of the MAGA hardcore, led by Trump’s eldest son Don Jr., and includes newly elected Vice President JD Vance and ideological warrior Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News host.
On the other side are the more conventional figures, led by Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, along with her trusted campaign managers, and transition head Howard Lutnick, CEO of financial firm Cantor Fitzgerald.
Then there are the free floaters like Epshteyn and billionaire Elon Musk, who have taken an increasingly visible position as the self-described “first friend,” and who depend on their direct relationship with Trump for influence.
The two clashed last week amid reports that the Trump campaign’s cohesion was beginning to crumble in the battle for jobs.
This week, Trump responded to the allegations against Epshteyn with a tired explanation that only one person made personnel decisions, and it was not one of his aides.
‘I imagine that every president has people around him who try to make money from them from the outside. It’s a shame, but it happens,” he told Just The News.
“But no one who works for me in any capacity should want to make money. They should only be here to make America great again.”