Raskin presses Trump transition on FBI vetting, Epshteyn

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Axios

Updated 4 hours ago


House Oversight Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) is pressing the Trump transition team for information on its vetting of administration appointees, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The letter homes in on allegations that Trump aide Boris Epshteyn sought payments from people pursuing appointments in exchange for favorable treatment.

Epshteyn has denied the allegations.

The Trump transition team reached an agreement with the Justice Department earlier this month to allow background checks for the president-elect's nominees.

But the deal left unclear whether nominees can opt out of background checks, Axios' Sareen Habeshian reported.

What he's saying: In a letter to Trump transition co-chairs Howard Lutnick and Linda McMahon, Raskin requested "clear assurance" that all nominees will be subject to an FBI background check before they are considered by the Senate or receive classified information.

Raskin pointed to reporting indicating that some Trump nominees are opposed to undergoing background checks and that the transition is waiting to take control of the FBI before allowing it to conduct them.

"Several of the nominees announced so far appear to have significant ties to U.S. adversaries, be vulnerable to blackmail or other forms of coercion, or lack even the most basic [national security] credentials," he wrote.

A Trump transition spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Zoom in: Raskin also cited reporting on allegations that Epshteyn, a close Trump confidante, asked potential nominees for monthly consulting fees and other financial favors in exchange for his advocacy.

"This is precisely the type of permissive environment in which individuals with undisclosed and unvetted security vulnerabilities can engage in nefarious conduct that could risk American security," he wrote.

Read more: https://www.axios.com/2024/12/13/raskin-presses-trump-transition-on-cabinet-vetting

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Link to Rep. Raskin LETTER (PDF) - https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25454649/raskin-letter-trump-transition.pdf

[Bluetus]

1. Dems need to draw a bright red line

No votes for any Trump nominees until they have successfully completed an FBI background check, and no hearing on Wray's replacement until all background checks are completed.

Maybe it won't change anything, but nothing is gained by negotiating half-measures. This is a matter of principle. The Republicans may have the votes to push these nominations through without FBI checks, but this is not something to be negotiated away. Force the GOP to bypass the FBI in a highly public way. And in the hearings, every question should relate to acts that the FBI should have investigated.

[groundloop]

2. Absolutely Correct. Raise hell and force the media to show America the BS tRUMP is trying to pull.

[ck4829]

3. Kick