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U.S. Senator investigates Tether's payment of $6.3 million to a company held by a former White House cryptocurrency advisor

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal has launched an investigation into the payment of approximately $6.3 million by the stablecoin issuer Tether to the consulting firm Nxum. Nxum was co-founded by former White House cryptocurrency advisor Bo Hines, who holds one-third of the company's shares. On October 22, Blumenthal sent a letter to Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino, requesting the contracts between the two parties, cryptocurrency payment records, wallet addresses, and communication content.Tether is accused of paying Nxum $415,000 per month since May 2025 for strategic communications, lobbying, and public relations services. Blumenthal pointed out that Bo Hines, while serving as the executive director of the White House Digital Assets Advisory Committee, still held shares in Nxum and coordinated affairs with the company through encrypted communication applications. He also questioned whether Tether transferred cryptocurrency through the marketing company Notorious and then allocated funds to Nxum shareholders. Tether began directly contracting with Nxum after August 2025 and hired Bo Hines to oversee the newly established U.S. operations. Blumenthal has requested that Tether, Nxum, and related parties respond by November 6, noting that the relevant allegations have not yet formed a legal determination, and Tether has not publicly responded.

first_img The U.S. Senate investigates Tether's payment to Bo Hines Company

The chief Democratic member of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Richard Blumenthal, sent a letter on Thursday to Tether and its U.S. subsidiary CEO Bo Hines regarding the consulting firm Nxum Group, which Hines co-founded, requesting clarification on the arrangements related to Tether's payments to Nxum. According to The Wall Street Journal, Nxum received substantial payments for providing consulting services to Tether while Bo Hines was still serving as a White House crypto advisor and involved in shaping crypto policies, including those concerning stablecoin issuers.In his letter to Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino, Blumenthal stated that the unusual terms and nature of the business relationship between Tether, Nxum, and Bo Hines raised serious ethical and legal concerns, implying that Tether likely knew that making payments to a current White House official directly involved in shaping critical legislation for its business was illegal and improper. A Tether spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. CoinDesk previously reported that Nxum, as a major campaign advertising supplier for a political action committee associated with Tether, received millions of dollars in revenue, despite having little prior political experience, and recently hired another White House crypto advisor, Harry Jung.Blumenthal has recently focused on the crypto space, including Trump's meme coin, World Liberty Financial, and activities involving Binance, particularly Tether. He has released reports on Tether's financial connections with Iran and questioned its relationship with U.S. financial partner Cantor Fitzgerald. Ardoino criticized Blumenthal this week for ignoring important information and sharing the report with the media before giving the company a chance to respond. The prediction market Kalshi shows a 69% probability that Democrats will regain control of the Senate, and if Blumenthal leads the subcommittee, he will gain greater subpoena and agenda control.

first_img Gemini founder's PAC invested $81,000 in advertising to support Paxton's campaign for Texas Senator

The super political action committee Digital Freedom Fund, initiated by Gemini co-founders Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss in 2025, submitted documents to the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday, reporting for the first time advertising expenses exceeding $81,000 to support Republican candidate Ken Paxton's campaign for the Texas Senate seat, while opposing Democratic candidate James Talarico. Early voting in Texas began on October 19, with Election Day on November 3.As of September 30, the PAC has raised approximately $34 million, and its expenditures are not limited to Texas. Documents show its involvement in the Ohio Senate race between Republican candidate Jon Husted and Democratic candidate Sherrod Brown, bringing its total support for Husted to about $7 million. Another crypto industry PAC, Fairshake, also reported over $13 million in direct mail advertising expenditures this week, with approximately $9 million supporting Husted and over $4 million opposing independent candidate Dan Osborn in the Nebraska Senate election.These expenditures indicate potential support for candidates who favor crypto policies and legislation. Prediction contracts from Kalshi and Polymarket suggest that Democrats are favored to regain majority control of the House and Senate by 2027, and the majority party in both chambers will influence the legislative process for bills like the Digital Asset Market Structure Act, which failed to pass procedural voting in the Senate last month. Paxton previously defeated incumbent Senator John Cornyn in the May Republican primary, receiving over $500,000 in advertising support from the Fellowship PAC, backed by Anchorage Digital and Cantor Fitzgerald, with the funds executed through the Nxum Group co-founded by Bo Hines.

first_img Fairshake affiliated PAC invested over 52 million dollars in the Ohio Senate election, opposing Sherrod Brown

According to documents submitted by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on October 15, the political action committee Fairshake, primarily funded by Coinbase and Ripple Labs, has invested $46.6 million through its affiliated organization Defend American Jobs in the Ohio Senate election for media advertising opposing former Congressman Sherrod Brown's return to the Senate and supporting Republican incumbent Jon Husted. This expenditure is over 50% more than Fairshake's initial plan of $30 million announced in September.In an interview aired on Pod Save America on October 16, Brown responded that he has spent his entire career battling Wall Street, big pharmaceutical companies, and oil giants, achieving success in many cases, while Husted is a spokesperson for these forces, which is why they have invested tens of millions of dollars. In addition to Fairshake, the super PAC Digital Freedom Fund, established by Gemini co-founders Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, reported approximately $3 million in advertising expenditures this week to oppose Brown and support Husted, bringing the total media spending in the Ohio campaign to over $5.9 million. With less than three weeks until the U.S. elections, early voting in Ohio has been underway for 10 days.Fairshake's spending this round has exceeded $41 million for 2024, when the PAC supported Republican Bernie Moreno and opposed the incumbent Brown. Brown, who previously served as chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, is one of the lawmakers in Congress openly questioning the laws and policies supported by the cryptocurrency industry. Defend American Jobs also reported spending over $6.7 million in the Nebraska Senate election opposing independent candidate Dan Osborn, whose opponent, Republican Pete Ricketts, voted in favor of the Digital Asset Market Structure Act and legislation related to stablecoins. Fairshake stated in January of this year that it held $193 million in cash before the election.

first_img Senator writes to Cantor, inquiring about the relationship with Tether

On October 8, 2026, Senator Richard Blumenthal, the chief member of the minority party of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, sent a letter to Cantor Fitzgerald Chairman Brandon Lutnick, requesting the preservation of documents and answers regarding the company's relationship with the stablecoin issuer Tether. The deadline for responses to the five-page letter is October 23, 2026. This request comes from the minority party of the subcommittee, is part of an investigative inquiry, and is not a law enforcement order, nor does it constitute a determination against Cantor, nor does it alter the operation or redemption of USDT.The letter states that since President Trump took office again, the valuation of Cantor's 5% stake in Tether has risen from $600 million to an estimated $10 billion, with Cantor earning tens of millions of dollars each year for holding assets on behalf of Tether; former Cantor Chairman and current Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick has profited over $250 million during the same period, including a $192 million distribution from Cantor. The page notes that the above content reflects allegations and estimates made by the senator, and does not represent conclusions drawn from this request. Blumenthal also wrote that Tether claims to operate in El Salvador, but the vast majority of its assets are in the U.S., held by Cantor.

U.S. Senate Investigation: USDT is a key liquidity channel for Iran's shadow banking, Gulf VASP faces higher sanction risks

A report from the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) identifies stablecoins, particularly USDT, as a key liquidity channel supporting Iran's shadow banking system. Licensed virtual asset service providers (VASP) in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region face heightened sanctions compliance pressure and need to enhance wallet ownership identification and counterparty assessment.Soham Jethani, a partner at the law firm Septten, stated that merchants settling crypto assets into local fiat currency do not necessarily avoid sanctions risks. Liability may involve designated entities, the provision of funds or economic resources, and asset handling within the transaction chain, potentially arising before the final settlement by banks. Jethani pointed out that the name of the stablecoin or the currency in which it is priced does not determine legal ownership; specific rights depend on contractual arrangements and actual payment processes.Globally circulating stablecoins may also pose secondary sanctions risks, as indirect or historical wallet associations do not automatically constitute violations and must be assessed in conjunction with applicable regulations, transaction participants, and specific facts. In regulated markets like the UAE, licensed exchange wallets are continuously monitored, and related funds can be frozen before consumption settlements, with merchants also required to complete KYC. Regulated VASPs handling deposits and withdrawals bear the responsibility for counterparty and sanctions risk assessment and corresponding controls.

first_img Senator Daines introduced the ADAPT Act, which exempts stablecoin payments from capital gains tax and introduces wash sale rules

U.S. Senator Steve Daines (Republican from Montana, member of the Senate Finance Committee) has officially introduced a 56-page digital asset tax bill, named the "Aligning Digital Assets with Tax Principles Act" (ADAPT Act). The bill aims to establish clearer tax rules for scenarios such as stablecoin payments, network fees, staking, and lending, and plans to extend existing tax rules like wash sales and constructive sales to apply to digital assets.The core provisions of the bill state that taxpayers generally do not need to recognize gains or losses when using compliant U.S. dollar stablecoins to purchase goods and services, while exempting brokers from information reporting obligations for qualifying consumer transactions; however, this exemption does not apply to traders and market makers. The bill also extends wash sale rules and constructive sale rules to digital assets, with compliant stablecoins excluded from the constructive sale provisions to limit loss harvesting behavior in crypto assets.Additionally, the bill proposes to exempt digital assets used to pay for network, transaction, or gas fees of $10 or less from gain or loss recognition and allows qualifying digital asset traders and dealers to choose to account for them at fair market value. The bill also stipulates rules for income sources from staking and mining, a non-recognition framework for digital asset lending, a safe harbor for foreign investors' transactions, and definitions for digital asset classifications; most provisions will apply to tax years or transactions after December 31, 2026. Previously, the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee passed its own "Digital Asset Tax Certainty Act" on September 16 by a vote of 38 to 5.

first_img The cryptocurrency advocacy organization Stand With Crypto announced its first round of endorsements for Senate candidates

According to The Block, the crypto advocacy organization supported by Coinbase, Stand With Crypto, has announced its first round of Senate candidate endorsements.The organization stated that it will endorse Ohio Republican Senator Jon Husted, whose opponent is the crypto-skeptical former Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown. Additionally, it will endorse Ashley Hinson from Iowa and Chris Pappas from New Hampshire.This endorsement comes after the Senate's procedural vote on September 15 failed to pass the Clarity Act, which aims to establish a federal regulatory framework for the industry.Senate Democrats stated that they could not vote for a bill that would allow President Trump to profit personally from the crypto industry. Stand With Crypto's Executive Director Mason Lynaugh mentioned that after the Senate's recent failure to advance the Clarity Act, the organization’s more than 3 million advocates are fully shifting their focus to ensuring the election of candidates who support crypto.In addition to the Senate endorsements, Stand With Crypto also stated that it will increase advertising spending in six House campaigns, including those of Democratic Congressman Don Davis and Republican Congressman Bryan Steil.These newly endorsed House candidates all voted in favor of the Clarity Act when it passed the House last year. The organization has also endorsed more House candidates, including Congressmen Shomari Figures and Mariannette Miller-Meeks.
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