On Monday local time, Steven Cheung, spokesperson for Trump's transition team and future director of the White House communications office, made a rare statement regarding the "internal review."

Steven stated, "In accordance with standard practices, we have conducted and completed an extensive review of the consulting agreements of the campaign team, including those involving Boris and others. We are now moving forward as a team to help President Trump make America great again."

Who is this Boris? Why is an investigation necessary? What does this have to do with the personnel appointments of the 'Trump 2.0 administration'?

Requesting money from the incoming Secretary of the Treasury.

The central figure undergoing "internal review" is Boris Epshteyn. According to multiple media reports, after several "insiders" alerted Trump that Epshteyn was soliciting money from individuals seeking cabinet nominations, Trump instructed the legal team to conduct an investigation.

(Boris Epshteyn (far right) accompanied Trump to the court hearing)

David Walrington, the chief legal advisor for Trump's team, recently completed the review report, confirming that Epshteyn had solicited payment from candidates, with the "victims" including Scott Bancen, the nominee for Secretary of the Treasury, who has recently attracted significant attention from the capital markets. The report recommends terminating Trump's employment relationship and close contact with Epshteyn, while warning that the incoming president may face a scandal.

Epstein is a senior lawyer for the Trump team, closely following Trump since 2016, and briefly served in the White House Communications Office in 2017. After the 2020 election, he was responsible for coordinating the defense of a series of criminal cases against Trump. He was also indicted in Arizona for "organizing false elector certificates to affirm Trump won the 2020 election."

The review report mentions that Epstein met with Besant in February of this year, at which time Besant had already expressed an interest in the position of Secretary of Treasury. Epstein proposed a monthly stipend of 0.03-0.04 million dollars, willing to promote Besant within Trump's Mar-a-Lago club circle. Although Besant refused to pay, he still tried to cater to Epstein, avoiding offending someone who appeared very powerful in Trump's circle.

Later, Epstein suggested that Besant invest 10 million dollars to establish a "3-on-3 basketball league," which was again rejected by Besant, causing their relationship to hit rock bottom.

Insiders said that on November 14, Besant called Epstein to question whether he was "stabbing him in the back"—speaking ill of him to people close to Trump. Epstein mocked Besant, stating it was "too late" to pay him to employ him, claiming he is "Boris FXXXing Epstein."

The legal review also found that Epstein confronted Besant in person at Mar-a-Lago, and several Trump allies witnessed the incident, indicating it looked like a form of "intimidation."

The review also discovered that Epstein had contacted a former Trump administration employee, now a defense contractor. He attempted to have this contractor pay him 0.1 million dollars monthly during the transition period. Investigation results showed that Epstein told the contractor he "knew who to contact in the Department of Defense," saying that the contractor's business relied on him.

In response to a series of reports, Epstein's team issued a statement saying: "I am honored to work for President Trump and his team. These claims are false, defamatory, and will not distract us from making America great again."

Epstein has another connection to the Trump family—he is a college classmate of Trump’s son, Eric. Eric also stated in an interview with Fox News on Monday that while he has known Boris for many years and always thought he was a good person, "father's attitude is very clear, that under no circumstances should this be done." Eric indicated that anyone who dared to do so would definitely be affected.

Eric added that he hopes these reports are "false," but if they are real, then "this person may no longer be (around)."

Trump's circle is not peaceful.

On Monday afternoon local time in the usa, the conservative website Just the News reported on some of Epstein's behaviors for the first time. The site also posted Trump's critical remarks: "I think every president has people around them trying to make money outside (using the president's influence). This is a disgrace, but it does happen. However, anyone who works for me, no matter their identity, should not be thinking about making money from this job."

Reports surrounding Epstein also highlight significant conflicts of interest in Trump's political orbit. Many allies or advisors surrounding Trump advocate for other individuals or interest groups, but they do not always disclose to Trump or senior aides that "they are getting paid."

This review report also describes a pattern: advisors close to Trump approach anyone who wants to get close to Trump and help them achieve their goals for a fee.

Apart from working for Trump, Epstein's political experience can almost be described as non-existent. However, since 2021, Republican candidates participating in local or state elections have been paying Epstein consulting fees.

Epstein's story also reveals another layer of struggle: the battle for attention within Trump's circle. People close to Trump revealed that Epstein often called Trump repeatedly to convey positive news. Therefore, he is also referred to as the "good news fairy" by other senior advisors.

Insiders say that after the November election, Epstein spent several hours almost every day at Mar-a-Lago, recommending official appointments to the president-elect, including nominating Matt Gaetz as attorney general. This behavior also drew dissatisfaction from other Trump advisors, who believed that recommending officials had exceeded his job responsibilities. According to reports, as Trump's major donor, Musk was also privately surprised by Epstein's "great power."

Earlier, there were reports from usa media stating that Musk had a public argument with Epstein at Mar-a-Lago. The world's richest man was unhappy with Epstein's influence on cabinet nominee selections and accused him of leaking details to the media, while Epstein firmly denied the allegation.

Editor/Rocky