Former Biglaw Attorney Tells Trump To Eliminate FBI Background Checks For Security Clearance
Background check? Don't know her.
Boris Epshteyn (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Boris Epshteyn is an attorney and MAGA-land fixture — who may or may not actually represent the former president Donald Trump. He even made a pitstop in Biglaw (Milbank) before turning to politics. But he’s making headlines for some unconventional advice — some might even say it’s downright dangerous.
As reported by the New York Times, a memo being pushed by Epshteyn is circulating in the GOP contender’s circle suggesting that, if elected, Trump do away with FBI checks for appointees needing security clearance instead farming the job to private security firms.
Curbing Client And Talent Loss With Productivity Tech
But it would allow him to quickly install loyalists in major positions without subjecting them to the risk of long-running and intrusive F.B.I. background checks, potentially increasing the risks of people with problematic histories or ties to other nations being given influential White House roles. Such checks hung up clearances for a number of aides during Mr. Trump’s presidency, including Mr. Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Mr. Epshteyn himself.
Well, we wouldn’t want a potential Epshteyn White House Counsel role being held up by something like an indictment in the Arizona fake-elector scheme.
The potential for everything with this plan to go pear-shaped was quickly noted.
Sponsored
Law Firm Business Development Is More Than Relationship Building
AI Presents Both Opportunities And Risks For Lawyers. Are You Prepared?
How The New Lexis+ AI App Empowers Lawyers On The Go
How The New Lexis+ AI App Empowers Lawyers On The Go
As the Times is quick to point out, Trump hasn’t explicitly backed the proposal. And when asked about it, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung responded with a doublespeak attack on Democrats instead of just responding.
Asked about the proposal, Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, responded with an attack on Vice President Kamala Harris, saying she and Democrats “have weaponized the Department of Justice to attack President Trump and his supporters” and that Mr. Trump would use “the full powers of the presidency” to build his administration starting on Inauguration Day.
And let’s be clear — in a sane timeline, the spokesperson of a major party’s presidential nominee would quickly and loudly just deny it because eliminating law enforcement’s role in security clearances is patently absurd. But that is not the world we live in, and this is far from the most ridiculous and authoritarian thing Donald Trump will do if elected next week.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @[email protected].
Sponsored
Curbing Client And Talent Loss With Productivity Tech
