Donald Trump's adviser and Russian-born lawyer Boris Epshtein may get the key position of the US special envoy for Ukraine in the administration of President-elect Trump.
As the New York Times , citing sources in Trump's circle, Epstein's candidacy was suggested by one of the president's most influential advisers.
Epstein is a lawyer who has led Trump's criminal defense and argued that the 2020 election, which Biden won, was rigged.
He was born in Russia and lived there as a child, he has relatives in both the Russian Federation and Ukraine.
Trump "listened with obvious interest and did not reject the proposal" to appoint Epstein, although he has not yet committed to appointing him, the newspaper writes.
The publication notes that the Republican especially notes Epstein's merits and listens to his advice. "Even the world's richest man, Elon Musk, who was in multiple transition meetings last week, privately noted how surprised he was that Mr. Epstein had been given so much power," the paper said.
"There is no one in the orbit of the president-elect who at this point doubts the level of influence of Epstein. He quickly became one of the most influential figures in the early days of the presidential transition, despite his lack of an official role," the article says.
In particular, Epstein is said to advise Trump on whom to appoint to the US Department of Justice and was a lobbyist for the nomination of Matt Goetz to the post of attorney general.
