The U.S. Department of Justice has dissolved the cryptocurrency enforcement division, and Trump has further relaxed regulations on digital assets

ChainCatcher news, according to Fortune magazine, the U.S. Department of Justice notified employees on Monday evening that it is disbanding a department specifically responsible for cryptocurrency-related investigations. In a four-page memo reviewed by Fortune, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the decision, stating, "The Department of Justice is not a digital asset regulatory agency. However, the previous administration used the Department to implement a reckless regulatory strategy through prosecutions."

Blanche is the second-in-command at the Department of Justice and was a defense attorney during Trump's 2024 criminal trial. He wrote that as part of the Department's efforts to comply with Trump's January executive order on digital assets, the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET) is being "immediately" disbanded, with the order aimed at "establishing regulatory clarity for the industry." As part of the memo on Monday, Blanche instructed DOJ employees to focus on "prosecuting those who harm digital asset investors," rather than pursuing cases against cryptocurrency exchanges, mixers like "Tornado Cash," and "offline wallets."