Boris Epshteyn: What to know about the possible 'Co-Conspirator 6' arrested in AZ in 2021
Boris Epshteyn is a longtime adviser to former President Donald Trump who has made national news recently because of speculation that he may be one of six unnamed co-conspirators who appear in the federal indictment of Trump over his post-2020 election efforts to stay in the White House.
He also made local headlines after The Arizona Republic revealed details about a 2021 incident in which a woman told police that Epshteyn inappropriately touched her and another woman at Bottled Blonde nightclub in Scottsdale.
Here's what you need to know about the Trump ally.
Epshteyn worked for John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign
A Jewish immigrant from Russia, Epshteyn began his career in Republican politics as a member of late Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign staff in 2008.
According to Epshteyn's LinkedIn page, he was a communications aide from August 2008 to November 2008 who "assisted in coordinating nationwide communications and spent time both at the Arlington, Virginia campaign headquarters and in Anchorage, Alaska" where he "was a key part of a rapid response task force concentrating on issues related to the Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin."
The GOP McCain-Palin ticket lost the election to the Democratic ticket of President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.
Though he has not talked publicly about his time on the campaign a lot, he wrote nice things about McCain after the six-term Arizona Republican's death in 2018.
"John McCain’s life, and later death are a reminder of a truth that we all should remember: love for one’s country and selfless sacrifice for the good of the American people are a universal language," he wrote in an opinion column.
Epshteyn's association with the Trump family dates back years
His association with the Trump family sprouted from a friendship between himself and Eric Trump while they both attended Georgetown University. Epshteyn was at Eric Trump's 2014 wedding and once tweeted that he was proud to call Eric Trump a friend.
After Trump won the 2016 presidential election, Epshteyn served as director of communications for the 58th Presidential Inaugural Committee, which organized Trump's Jan. 20, 2017, inauguration, according to Epshteyn's LinkedIn page.
Epshteyn worked in the White House from January 2017 to April 2017 as a special assistant to the president, assistant communications director for surrogate operations.
He later was a "strategic advisor" to Trump's reelection campaign from June 2020 to January 2021.
Epshteyn had run-ins with Fox News staff
In his White House role, Epshteyn was known for "terrorizing network greenrooms," Politico reported in 2017. Part of his job as special assistant to the president was to work with White House officials who made television appearances.
After a heated exchange with a Fox News booker after an appearance on Bill Hemmer's show, he threatened to stop White House officials from making appearances on the network.
"The booker fired back, the sources said, aware that Epshteyn had no power to follow through on a threat that would have upended the administration’s relationship with a sympathetic news network," Politico wrote.
Trump officials continued to appear on Fox.
Epshteyn may or may not be Co-Conspirator 6
In the third indictment against former President Donald Trump, five unnamed co-conspirators have been named by the media, but one, Co-Conspirator 6, remains unknown.
The indictment describes Co-Conspirator 6 as "a political consultant who helped implement a plan to submit fraudulent slates of presidential electors to obstruct the certification proceeding."
Some speculate that the description could fit Epshteyn.
The New York Times reported on Aug. 2 that "an email from December 2020 from Boris Epshteyn, a strategic adviser to the Trump campaign in 2020, to Mr. Giuliani matches a description in the indictment of an interaction between Co-Conspirator 6 and Mr. Giuliani, whose lawyer has confirmed that he is Co-Conspirator 1."
According to previous Arizona Republic reporting, Epshteyn stoked protesters outside tabulation centers and pushed for a law that would allow state legislators to overturn elections.
He was involved with the effort to submit GOP electors to Congress, though Arizona's certified results showed President Joe Biden had won the state and at least one fellow Republican lawyer counseling on the matter had expressed doubts about it.
"Around the same time, Epshteyn also encouraged Fox News and the Associated Press to retract their predictions that Biden would carry the state. They didn't," The Republic reported last week.
What happened in Scottsdale in 2014 and 2021?
Epshteyn has a history of problems in Scottsdale.
After a 2014 fight at Dierks Bentley's Whiskey Row, Epshteyn was charged with "assault - touched to injure."
Epshteyn punched a man in the nose, according to an accusation included in a Scottsdale police report obtained by The Republic.
Epshteyn agreed to a plea deal that required him to avoid contact with the victim and barred him from going back to the establishment. He also had to pay court fees and complete 25 hours of community service.
On Oct. 10, 2021, Epshteyn was accused of sexually assaulting two women at the Bottled Blonde in Scottsdale.
“All night he’s been touching me and my sister, especially my sister. He kind of cornered her and grabbed her and is just making her super uncomfortable,” a 27-year-old woman said in police body camera footage obtained by The Republic.
Epshteyn was charged with “assault touching,” “attempted sexual abuse,” “harassment-repeated acts” and “disorderly conduct-disruptive behavior or fighting.” Epshteyn pleaded guilty in Scottsdale City Court to disorderly conduct and served probation; the other three charges were dismissed.
The court set aside his conviction in January.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Who is Boris Epshteyn? Here's what you need to know
