Cointime

Download App
iOS & Android

Trump-tied World Liberty Financial Rebuffs U.S. Senator's Probe

What to know:

  • The crypto company affiliated with President Donald Trump, World Liberty Financial, has sent a response to an earlier probe initiated by U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal.
  • The company's lawyers refuted Blumenthal's assertions and defended its role in the industry.

World Liberty Financial, the crypto business tied to President Donald Trump and his family, is pushing back against scrutiny from U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, the leading Democrat on a panel responsible for investigating corruption and mismanagement.

Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the State of Crypto Newsletter today.See all newslettersSign me upBy signing up, you will receive emails about CoinDesk products and you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.

"WLFI is not operating in the shadows," according to a letter the company's lawyers sent to the Connecticut senator. "It is building a next-generation, auditable financial infrastructure rooted in American trust, rule of law and economic leadership."

Blumenthal had targeted his own letter at co-founder Zach Witkoff — set to appear alongside fellow co-founder Zak Folkman and Eric Trump at Consensus 2025 in Toronto on Friday — and asked about the ownership and investment structure for Trump-affiliated entities, including WLFI and Fight Fight Fight LLC, the company behind the TRUMP memecoin. Since he's not in the majority party, Blumenthal's probe doesn't carry the full force of the Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, a panel housed within the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs.

The WLFI response said Blumenthal's request "contains inaccuracies and fundamental flawed inferences that we will not address in full," but the lawyers offered the example that WLFI has no affiliation with Fight, Fight, Fight LLC.

"The company rejects the false choice between innovation and oversight," the letter said. "What it opposes is the misuse of regulatory authority and uncertainty to suppress lawful innovation."

The president's son, Eric, who is listed as a Web3 ambassador on the WLFI website alongside his father, the "chief crypto advocate," also appeared at Consensus 2025 on Thursday to explain how he entered crypto and why he launched a mining firm set to go public via a merger.

"We have come to love the crypto community, and I think the crypto community has really come to love us," he told a crowded house in Toronto. "We're so proud to be a big part of it."

The Trump family's crypto ties have also been raised by Senate Democrats objecting to digital assets legislation working its way through Congress. Even so, a stablecoin regulation bill is expected to come up for a key vote next week.

Comments

All Comments

Recommended for you

  • SpaceX's Largest IPO Approaches, Space Stocks Surge, Momentus Up Over 24%

    On June 4, space stocks saw significant gains, with Momentus rising over 24%, Virgin Galactic up over 18%, Redwire increasing by over 17%, and York Space Systems gaining more than 7%. Boeing, GE Aerospace, and Rocket Lab also saw nearly 3% increases. In news, SpaceX disclosed in a filing submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Wednesday that it plans to set the offering price at $135 per share before officially launching the IPO roadshow, aiming to raise $75 billion. At this offering price, SpaceX's valuation would reach $1.77 trillion, making it the seventh-largest publicly traded company in the U.S., surpassing Tesla's current valuation of approximately $1.6 trillion. SpaceX plans to officially list on the Nasdaq stock exchange on June 12. In its lengthy prospectus, SpaceX anchors its total addressable market (TAM) at an unprecedented $28.5 trillion.

  • SpaceX Promotes IPO to Retail Investors with 17-Minute Video, Outlining Future Vision and Ambitious Goals

    On June 4, SpaceX launched an IPO promotion for retail investors through a video early Thursday morning. In this 17-minute video, Chief Financial Officer Bret Johnsen connected the company's rocket, satellite, and artificial intelligence businesses. This presentation is part of the company's efforts, led by Elon Musk, to attract ordinary investors globally. Media reports have indicated that these buyers are a key component of SpaceX's IPO strategy, with up to 30% of the $75 billion issuance allocated to such investors. Johnsen was the only person featured in the video, where he introduced himself as the company's first and only CFO. The video is available on the company's website, spacexipo.com, which prominently encourages visitors to open brokerage accounts. Johnsen stated, 'Elon founded SpaceX with the goal of changing humanity and making us a multi-planetary species. It is incredibly exciting that we have already been able to expand this vision through the Starlink constellation and our AI solutions.' The roadshow outlined several future goals but did not specify timelines for achieving them, including increasing gross margins from last year's 49% to around 70% and achieving a net profit margin of approximately 45%, compared to last year's negative 26%. The company also outlined grand ambitions in the video, including sending data centers into space. The video further detailed its operations, including reusable rockets and the Starlink satellite system providing broadband internet access to Earth.

  • BTC Surpasses $64,000

    Market data shows that BTC has surpassed $64,000, currently priced at $64,033.43, with a 24-hour decline of 4.37%. The market is experiencing significant volatility, so please ensure proper risk management.

  • Nasdaq Golden Dragon China Index Rises Over 0.5%

    On June 4, the Nasdaq Golden Dragon China Index rose over 0.5%. Daqo New Energy increased by 6.94%, Niu Technologies rose by 6.25%, Tencent Music grew by 3.99%, Yikatong Technology climbed by 3.76%, and Bilibili saw an increase of 3.47%.

  • Philadelphia Semiconductor Index Falls Over 4%, Broadcom Drops Over 14% Leading the Sector

    On June 4, the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index fell over 4%, with Broadcom experiencing a significant drop of over 14%, leading the decline in the U.S. semiconductor sector. Arm and Micron Technology both fell over 6%, while AMD and Marvell Technology dropped over 5%. ON Semiconductor fell over 4%, and Qualcomm, Applied Materials, and GlobalFoundries each declined over 3%. Intel, Analog Devices, and ASML saw declines of over 2%. In terms of news, Broadcom reported total revenue of $22.187 billion for Q2 of fiscal year 2026, a year-on-year increase of 48%, with AI revenue reaching $10.8 billion, up 145%, both exceeding market expectations. Looking ahead to the third fiscal quarter, the company expects AI revenue to reach $16 billion, a quarter-on-quarter increase of 48% and a year-on-year increase of 210%. Citigroup analysts pointed out that the $16 billion AI revenue guidance is below their expected $17.5 billion and also below the market consensus expectation of $16.3 billion. Meanwhile, Broadcom's CEO merely reaffirmed the existing target of 'over $100 billion' in AI revenue for fiscal year 2027 without any enhancements, which directly triggered market disappointment.

  • Micron Technology Stock Price Falls Below $1000

    On June 4, Micron Technology's stock price dropped by 7.61%, closing at $997.40 per share, with a total market capitalization of $1.12 trillion.

  • Nasdaq Opens Over 1% Lower, Broadcom Drops Over 14% After Earnings

    On June 4, U.S. stock markets opened with mixed results. The Nasdaq fell by 1.02%, the S&P 500 dropped by 0.34%, while the Dow Jones rose by 0.97%. Broadcom saw a significant drop of over 14%, with its third-quarter AI revenue guidance set at $16 billion, a 210% year-on-year increase, which still fell short of market expectations. CrowdStrike also declined by over 9%, as its second-quarter earnings guidance did not 'impress the market,' with analysts noting that recent stock prices have already fully reflected the positive outlook.

  • Spot Silver Reaches $75/Ounce, Up 3.16% for the Day

    Spot silver has reached $75 per ounce, increasing by 3.16% during the day.

  • Blackstone's Flagship Private Credit Fund Limits Investor Redemptions for the First Time

    On June 4, Blackstone Group (BX.N) implemented restrictions on redemption requests for its flagship private credit fund after investors sought to redeem 10% of their shares. This marks the fund's first limitation on redemption applications, making it the latest fund to tighten redemption limits amid a wave of investor withdrawals. According to documents submitted on Thursday, the $79 billion Blackstone private credit fund has informed shareholders that it will only fulfill 5% of redemption requests. In the previous quarter, the fund allowed investors to redeem a record 7.9% of shares, aided by executives using their own funds to assist with financing. Jim Zelter, Co-President of Apollo Global Management, stated that following the previous redemption restrictions, investors are intensifying their efforts to reclaim funds, suggesting that there may be more 'turmoil' in the non-traded BDC (business development company) sector.

  • U.S. Initial Jobless Claims for Week Ending May 30 at 225,000

    The number of initial jobless claims in the U.S. for the week ending May 30 was 225,000, compared to an expectation of 213,000. The previous value was revised from 215,000 to 212,000.