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US Senators Slam DOJ Official for Crypto Conflict of Interest

Key Takeaways

  • ​Six Democratic senators accused Deputy AG Todd Blanche of weakening crypto oversight while holding up to $470,000 in digital assets;
  • Lawmakers said Blanche’s Bitcoin and Ethereum holdings created a conflict of interest under federal ethics law;
  • The senators demanded details on his policy process and crypto contacts by setting a February 11 deadline for his reply.

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US Senators Slam DOJ Official for Crypto Conflict of Interest

Six Democratic senators have raised concerns about Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s handling of cryptocurrency regulations.

They said his personal crypto holdings may have created a conflict of interest.

The lawmakers, Mazie Hirono, Richard Durbin, Elizabeth Warren, Sheldon Whitehouse, Christopher Coons, and Richard Blumenthal, sent a letter to Blanche on January 28.

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They said that, according to his financial disclosure forms, he held between $158,000 and $470,000 worth of cryptocurrency when he introduced a policy that softened federal oversight of the industry.

They cited federal law, 18 U.S.C. § 208(a), which bars officials from participating in matters that could affect their own finances. The letter stated, "At the very least, you had a glaring conflict of interest and should have recused yourself".

Blanche reportedly owned Bitcoin BTC $84,251.80 and Ethereum ETH $2,702.14 at the time he released his memo titled “Ending Regulation by Prosecution".

The senators said Blanche had promised to sell his crypto holdings “as soon as practicable” in February 2025, but instead transferred or sold them to relatives.

In their letter, the lawmakers asked Blanche to explain which internal reviews were conducted before his policy was approved, to provide all communications with cryptocurrency representatives between March 5 and April 7, and to clarify why his divestment was not completed until May 31.

They requested that he respond to their questions by February 11.

Meanwhile, former Google engineer Linwei “Leon” Ding was convicted of stealing over 2,000 pages of AI data tied to projects in China. How did the case unfold? Read the full story.

Aaron S. Editor-In-Chief
Having completed a Master’s degree in Economics, Politics, and Cultures of the East Asia region, Aaron has written scientific papers analyzing the differences between Western and Collective forms of capitalism in the post-World War II era.
With close to a decade of experience in the FinTech industry, Aaron understands all of the biggest issues and struggles that crypto enthusiasts face. He’s a passionate analyst who is concerned with data-driven and fact-based content, as well as that which speaks to both Web3 natives and industry newcomers.
Aaron is the go-to person for everything and anything related to digital currencies. With a huge passion for blockchain & Web3 education, Aaron strives to transform the space as we know it, and make it more approachable to complete beginners.
Aaron has been quoted by multiple established outlets, and is a published author himself. Even during his free time, he enjoys researching the market trends, and looking for the next supernova.

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