corruption

Senator Warren called the application "the most despicable" presidential corruption scandal, pointing out that the UAE National Security Advisor Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan's related investment firm invested $500 million in WLFI four days before Trump took office, acquiring a 49% stake, of which approximately $187 million flowed to Trump family entities.Warren urged Gould to reject or suspend the review of the application, stating that approval would make him "an accomplice to corruption." Gould, however, refused to intervene, stating that he would process the application according to standard procedures and countered that the only political pressure felt came from Warren. 41 House Democrats had previously written to the Treasury Secretary, warning that approving the license could threaten "the legitimacy of the U.S. banking system and its independence from foreign actors."

According to Decrypt, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy from Connecticut has warned that a deal involving UAE investors secretly paying Trump-associated cryptocurrency firms may involve potential criminal activity. Murphy alleged that four days before Trump's inauguration, Aryam Investment, linked to UAE Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, agreed to acquire 49% of Trump-associated cryptocurrency company World Liberty Financial for $500 million, with approximately $187 million flowing to entities associated with the Trump family and at least $31 million going to family-associated entities of Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.Subsequently, the Trump administration approved the expansion of UAE's access to advanced U.S. AI chips, which had been restricted during the Biden administration. In his Senate speech, Murphy summarized the accusation as: a secret massive transfer of funds to Trump and envoy-associated families, followed by the U.S. sharing restricted security technology with the UAE. He stated that this is corruption, constitutes elements of bribery, and is potential criminal behavior, warning that although accountability may be delayed, the consequences are inevitable, the rule of law will return, and those who trade power for money will go to jail. Previously, it was reported that a confidant of the Abu Dhabi royal family secretly invested $500 million to acquire 49% of the Trump family's WLFI company; Trump responded that he was unaware of the $500 million investment from Abu Dhabi into WLFI, and that his sons were handling it.

Eric Trump, the second son of Trump, stated on the Full Send podcast that the total supply of Bitcoin is fixed at 21 million coins, which is a "beautiful" design that cannot expand its supply through continuous mining like commodities such as gold. This limitation creates true scarcity, making it a global asset.In addition, he mentioned that Bitcoin is easier to transfer globally compared to gold, and that Bitcoin has no "management," thus there are no issues of corruption, fraud, or abuse.

According to Decrypt, a strongly partisan report released by House Judiciary Committee Democrats accuses Trump of using the White House to enrich himself and his family through cryptocurrency. The report claims that Trump and his family engaged in a "cryptocurrency scam" to profit $800 million in the first half of 2025. Currently, the total value of cryptocurrencies and stocks held by the Trump family has reached $11 billion, doubling the family's wealth in less than a year. Foreign entities have made significant investments in the Trump family's issued tokens or made political donations in exchange for favorable policies and regulatory relief from the White House.Specific examples cited in the Democratic report include Trump granting clemency to BitMEX founder Arthur Hayes (March 2025) and Binance founder CZ (October 2025), as well as terminating investigations into several leading cryptocurrency companies such as Coinbase, Gemini, Robinhood, Ripple, Crypto.com, Uniswap, Yuga Labs, and Kraken. The report also mentions the disbanding of the Justice Department's "National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team" and the repeal of investor protection regulations like the executive order on "Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets" signed during the Biden administration.The core conclusion of the Democrats is that Trump has turned the "Oval Office into the world's most corrupt cryptocurrency startup," and his so-called "pro-cryptocurrency policies" are essentially a self-enrichment scheme for the Trump family, built on "pay-to-play" and corrupt foreign interests.

ChainCatcher news, Ripple CLO Stuart Alderoty stated on platform X that The New York Times has published submissions for the second time in two weeks, portraying cryptocurrency as a tool for crime and corruption, a claim that is "lazy and inaccurate." Over 55 million people in the U.S. are using cryptocurrency technology, with more than 75% stating that it has improved their lives by helping them send money securely, verify assets, and build a new business system that is transparent and traceable.Stuart Alderoty emphasized, "Corruption does not thrive in the sunlight," and the true meaning of cryptocurrency is to help ordinary Americans save time, reduce costs, and achieve financial freedom.

ChainCatcher news, according to Ainvest, the U.S. Senate voted down an anti-cryptocurrency corruption amendment with 46 votes in favor and 54 votes against. The amendment was proposed by Senator Jeff Merkley and aimed to prohibit elected officials from using their positions to gain improper benefits in the cryptocurrency field.The main goal of the amendment was to prevent public officials from obtaining "unfair gains" by promoting specific cryptocurrencies or achieving self-interest through "cryptocurrency schemes." Specific measures included prohibiting officials from publicly promoting specific cryptocurrencies, strengthening disclosure requirements for holdings, restricting cryptocurrency trading during their term, and preventing conflicts of interest.Senator Merkley stated on social media platform X that the failure of the amendment was mainly due to opposition from Republicans.

ChainCatcher News, Senate Democrats blocked stablecoin legislation supported by the digital asset industry, and Trump's extensive and growing cryptocurrency portfolio has caused a stir.The bill's supporters failed to reach the required 60 votes in Thursday's vote, with a tally of 49 to 48. There is still a possibility for both sides to reach an agreement in the coming weeks, as many Democrats argue that stablecoin regulation is crucial for protecting consumers and providing guidelines for this emerging industry. Trump has recently been heavily promoting the TRUMP coin named after him, and after the token's organizers launched a marketing campaign stating "the largest holders can dine with the president," token sales surged. Democratic Senator Warren and others have claimed that such measures exhibit clear corruption.

ChainCatcher message, the meme coin TRUMP announces that Trump will have dinner with the first 220 holders of the token. U.S. Senator Chris Murphy from Connecticut stated, "This not only reflects Trump's nature, but the TRUMP coin scam may be the most blatant act of corruption by a president in history."

ChainCatcher News: A U.S. judge has completely dismissed the corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who is a crypto-friendly individual. He previously announced that his first paycheck after taking office was converted into BTC and ETH through Coinbase.

ChainCatcher news, Gala stated on social media that he is "resigning normally" and feels wronged by the rumored "exaggerated turmoil." Gala previously held a position on the BNB chain under Binance, and his departure has sparked discussions in the cryptocurrency community.Binance co-founder He Yi responded on social media, stating that there were no reported corrupt practices by Gala on the BNB chain, and that other companies have already invited him to join, wishing him well.

ChainCatcher news, White House AI and cryptocurrency chief David Sacks posted on the X platform: "To accuse those who are already very successful in business of entering government to make more money is a lazy and foolish narrative. As far as I know, serving in government creates substantial interference and divestment from personal business interests. The real question is how those lifelong 'public servants' became so wealthy.For example, how did Nancy Pelosi become one of the greatest stock pickers of our time? How did the former head of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) become a billionaire? Why are the zip code areas around Washington, D.C. among the wealthiest in the nation?From what I see, all billionaires who serve in government do so for one reason: they absolutely love this country and want to make it great again. To do this, we must drain the swamp and expose the blatant large-scale government corruption."Elon Musk retweeted the post and expressed agreement: "Exactly."

ChainCatcher news, according to the Argentine presidential office: "On October 19, 2024, President Javier Milei met with representatives of KIP Protocol in Argentina. During this meeting, the company representatives presented the president with their intention to develop a project called 'Viva la Libertad' ('Long Live Freedom'), which aims to utilize blockchain technology to provide financing for private enterprises in Argentina.This meeting has been officially recorded in the public hearing registry, with participants including the national president, KIP Protocol representatives Mauricio Novelli and Julian Peh, as well as presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni.In this context, on January 30, 2025, the president met with Hayden Mark Davis at the Casa Rosada (Rose Palace). According to the introduction by KIP Protocol representatives, Mr. Davis will provide the technical infrastructure for the project. Mr. Davis has had no prior association with the Argentine government, nor has he established any relationship with it; he was referred as a project partner by representatives of KIP Protocol.Finally, yesterday, the president posted a message on his personal social media account announcing the launch of the KIP Protocol project, similar to his usual support for many entrepreneurs looking to start projects in Argentina to create jobs and attract investment. Due to the widespread attention the project launch received, and to avoid any speculation and reduce further dissemination, the president decided to delete this post.In light of the above, President Javier Milei has decided to immediately refer this matter to the Anti-Corruption Office (OA) to determine whether there has been any misconduct by any members of the national government, including the president himself, in this incident.Additionally, the national president has decided to establish an investigative task force (UTI) under the presidential office, which will consist of representatives from institutions and departments related to cryptocurrency, financial activities, money laundering, and other relevant fields, to consolidate information for an urgent investigation into the release of the cryptocurrency LIBRA and all related businesses or individuals.All information collected during the investigation will be handed over to the judicial authorities to determine whether any businesses or individuals associated with the KIP Protocol project are suspected of criminal activity.President Milei has demonstrated his commitment to the pursuit of truth through concrete actions and has pledged to thoroughly investigate this incident until the truth is revealed."

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, New York City’s pro-cryptocurrency mayor Eric Adams has been indicted on corruption charges, becoming the first sitting mayor in New York's history to face charges while in office.The charges were brought after an investigation by the FBI in November 2023, which searched Adams' personal electronic devices, suspecting that he received illegal donations from the Turkish government in 2021.Eric Adams has been a long-time supporter of cryptocurrency, with his first three paychecks being in BTC and ETH, and he pledged to make New York "the center of the cryptocurrency industry" when he was elected mayor in 2021.

According to ChainCatcher news, local media Vijesti recently reported that former Montenegrin Minister of Justice Andrej Milović expressed concerns about the potential connection between the extradition of Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon and the airport concession agreements in Montenegro and South Korea.Milović argued that Spajić initially supported the transfer of Kwon to France but changed his position after the appellate court ruled that Kwon should be extradited to South Korea. He further pointed out that Spajić has a personal connection to the case and cited reports of Spajić investing $75,000 in the Terra/Luna tokens, directly linking him to Kwon's bankrupt crypto project. Milović warned that extraditing Kwon to South Korea would hinder a comprehensive investigation into the matter and called on the U.S. to pressure Spajić to cooperate with a broader investigation.

ChainCatcher news, Ghana's Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia recently stated that the next phase of Ghana's digitalization plan is to transform itself into the first blockchain-driven government in Africa. The automation capabilities of this technology could save Ghana and the African continent billions of dollars lost due to corruption.

ChainCatcher news, according to Coinedition, crypto KOL Derivatives Monke revealed that zkSync DeFi head Sebastien is suspected of "corruption."Derivatives Monke shared chat screenshots with Sebastien (more commonly known as Seb), exposing the latter's offer of "extra zkSync tokens" and reserving some tokens for "friends joining the multi-signature." According to the tweet, Seb had been spreading FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) before the launch of Syncus_Fi, a DeFi protocol focused on zkSync. According to the official announcement, "the purpose of the IDO is solely to obtain liquidity for the tokens and to initiate the treasury, thereby enabling the staking/unbonding mechanism to function."The platform also announced that 15% of the total supply of SYNC tokens will be allocated to the IDO (Initial DEX Offering). According to the official statement, the IDO went live on November 25 at 2 PM (Eastern Time) for only 5 minutes. However, Derivatives Monke's tweet revealed the unusual behavior of the zkSync DeFi Head. Seb asserted that about 25% of the zkSync tokens should be allocated to "his friends."Despite this, the head seems to strongly deny these allegations and wrote on Twitter, "The screenshots in this tweet are fake." He reiterated that the events in question are not real and claimed that he has "clarified the situation and cleared up the initial misunderstanding."