Raskin demands FBI vetting of Trump nominees, details on Epshteyn
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) on Friday made a series of demands of the Trump transition team, asking for assurances President-elect Trump’s Cabinet nominees will undergo FBI vetting while also requesting details about aide Boris Epshteyn’s alleged profiting from promoting those seeking new posts.
The letter from Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, comes as the Trump team floated using outside firms to do background checks on its nominees, rather than the traditional practice of having the FBI do so.
Raskin said he’s seeking “clear assurance” of using the FBI to perform background checks, noting reports that some nominees are refusing to undergo what he called a “standard practice across administrations.”
“While I understand the Trump-Vance Transition has reached an agreement with the Department of Justice that makes it possible for the FBI to conduct background checks, it remains unclear whether the Transition will require nominees to submit to them,” Raskin wrote.
“Given this muddled record, I urge you to clearly and unequivocally commit to requiring that all nominees undergo FBI background checks and submit to vetting before receiving access to classified information.”
Raskin’s letter points to reporting from Semafor that some Trump picks are refusing to go through FBI background checks until the agency is in the hands of the Trump administration — a move that would cause serious delay.
He argued that private firms would fall short of the vetting the FBI is able to provide, and noted that those going through outside background checks “would not be under the same legal compulsion to thoroughly disclose potential conflicts and negative information that would apply to disclosures made to the FBI.”
The letter asks the transition team to turn over all information on any private firms already contracted by the Trump transition.
The letter lists a suite of possible entanglements faced by various Trump nominees, including Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s meeting with now-disposed Syrian leader Bashar Assad and her parroting of Russian talking points. It also notes concerns around Sebastian Gorka, who Trump has tapped to work in the National Security Counsel but who previously had trouble getting a security clearance. And it points to multiple controversy swirling around Pete Hegseth, Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Defense, as factors that make him “a potential target for compromise or blackmail from foreign governments.”
The letter also points to the reports surrounding Epshteyn to back the need for thorough FBI vetting.
Reporting from CNN and The Washington Post indicated Trump asked for an internal review that found Epshteyn had been asking potential nominees for money to promote them to the president-elect, in some cases asking for as much as $100,000.
Scott Bessent, Trump’s nominee for Treasury secretary, is among those Epshteyn reportedly approached. He turned down the offer, the Post reported.
“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,” Raskin wrote.
His letter asks for all documents related to the review into Epshteyn and any associated figures.
The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter.
But it has acknowledged its internal review into Epshteyn, who has denied wrongdoing.
“As is standard practice, a broad review of the campaign’s consulting agreements has been conducted and completed, including as to Boris, among others,” spokesman Steven Cheung said when reports emerged in November.
“We are now moving ahead together as a team to help President Trump Make America Great Again.”
Updated at 1:25 p.m. EST