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.
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.
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].