Cointime

Download App
iOS & Android

Trump's Memecoin Dinner Questioned by Top Democrat on House Judiciary Committee

What to know:

  • Representative Jamie Raskin, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, questioned President Donald Trump about the event in which more than 200 of his memecoin buyers were invited to a special dinner.
  • Raskin joined other Democratic lawmakers in suggesting it's inappropriate for Trump to be concealing the identities of a group of largely foreign investors into his crypto business.

A senior Democrat in the House of Representatives, Jamie Raskin, joined his name to lawmakers seeking answers about President Donald Trump's recent dinner for top investors in his memecoin, sending questions directly to Trump.

00:18Top 10 Crypto Exchanges RankedThe video player is currently playing an ad.STORY CONTINUES BELOWDon't miss another story.Subscribe to the State of Crypto Newsletter today.See all newsletters Sign me upBy signing up, you will receive emails about CoinDesk products and you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.

Raskin, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, has been a vocal critic of the president and becomes the latest of many from his party to probe details about the event, which they've called out as evidence of White House corruption. Because Raskin is in the minority party, his demands are unlikely to lead to further congressional action unless they regain the House or Senate in next year's elections.

"I write today to demand that you release the names of all the attendees at this dinner and provide information about the source of the money they each used to buy $TRUMP coins, so that we can prevent illegal foreign government emoluments from being pocketed without congressional consent," Raskin wrote this week to the president, joining many counterparts in the Senate in seeking the information, including Senators Elizabeth Warren, Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal.

"We deserve to know who is paying for access to our president, and what steps you took to ensure that the funds you receive are legitimate and legal, rather than the proceeds from foreign states or monarchs or illegal activities," Rasking said, specifically highlighting Tron founder Justin Sun, a guest who was a major early investor in Trump's family crypto operations.

Comments

All Comments

Recommended for you

  • Over $200 Million Liquidated in the Last Hour, Primarily Long Positions

    On October 24, according to Coinglass data, the total liquidation amount across the cryptocurrency market reached $200 million in the past hour, with long positions accounting for $191 million and short positions for $8.76 million, indicating a strong dominance of bulls. By cryptocurrency, Bitcoin saw liquidations of $59.74 million, while Ethereum experienced liquidations of $53.03 million.

  • Trump Prepares for Escalated Military Action Against Iran Post-Midterms, Increases Troops in Gulf

    U.S. President Trump is preparing to resume strikes against Iran following the November 3 midterm elections, having deployed a third aircraft carrier strike group and 10,000 sailors and Marines to the Persian Gulf. U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper visited Israel to meet with Netanyahu, while the State Department ordered the evacuation of some diplomatic personnel and their families from Saudi Arabia. Iran is planning retaliatory actions in the Middle East, with Foreign Minister Zarif stating that diplomatic progress is currently limited. The conflict is disrupting energy transport in the Gulf, driving Brent crude oil prices up over 80% this year, and impacting the Republican Party's midterm election prospects. (Bloomberg)

  • BTC Falls Below $80,000

    Market data shows that BTC has fallen below $80,000, currently priced at $79,990.04, with a 24-hour decline of 1.76%. The market is experiencing significant volatility, so please ensure proper risk management.

  • Iranian Armed Forces: U.S. Navy Ships Not Allowed in the Persian Gulf Under Any Circumstances

    On October 24, according to CCTV News, Major General Ali Abdollahi, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, stated that the Iranian military has successfully deterred the U.S. Navy, preventing it from approaching the waters near the Persian Gulf or Iranian territorial waters. Under no circumstances will Iran allow U.S. military ships to enter the Persian Gulf; the idea of the U.S. wanting to return its military forces to the Persian Gulf is merely a fantasy. Abdollahi also pointed out that the U.S. and Israel, along with their military forces, will increasingly find themselves deeper in the quagmire they have created, and the longer the confrontation lasts, the more entrenched they will become.

  • CMCC Global Plans to Issue Tokenized Bitcoin Fund in El Salvador in Partnership with Tether and Bitfinex Securities

    On October 24, investment management company CMCC Global announced plans to represent its two digital asset funds—Crest and the Liberty Bitcoin Accumulation Fund (LBAF)—in token form. These tokens will be issued and managed through Tether's Hadron infrastructure and distributed by Bitfinex Securities under El Salvador's digital asset framework. Both funds operate as fund-of-funds structures. Crest is priced in USD and aims to outperform U.S. Treasury yields, while LBAF is priced in Bitcoin with a target annual net return of 8% to 12% (BTC), which is an investment target rather than a guaranteed payment. The tokens represent economic rights to the underlying fund shares, minted according to corresponding shares and destroyed upon redemption, still subject to legal and operational conditions, and are not unlicensed tokens. Issuance requires identity verification, anti-money laundering checks, and whitelist addresses; Bitfinex Securities will provide issuance, distribution, and secondary trading. The institution BTCS S.A. has tentatively agreed to provide a three-digit Bitcoin anchor configuration (specifics not disclosed). The issuance price is set at $10 per Crest token and 0.0001 BTC per LBAF token.

  • Chinese Ministry of Commerce Responds to U.S. Proposed Investment Restrictions

    On October 24, a reporter asked: On October 23, the U.S. Department of the Treasury released a new proposed rule on foreign investment restrictions and is seeking public comments. What is China's comment on this? The response: China has noted the relevant situation. The proposed rule discriminatively expands the scope of investment restrictions against China and intensifies the restrictions, which is a typical practice of generalizing national security. This goes against the important consensus reached by the leaders of both countries, interferes with normal economic and trade cooperation between Chinese and American enterprises, and undermines the international economic and trade order. China expresses serious concern and strong opposition to this and will closely monitor the subsequent developments, reserving the right to take corresponding measures. China has a vast market with enormous consumption and investment potential; investing in China is investing in the future. The U.S. restrictions on investment in China are not conducive to Sino-U.S. economic and trade cooperation and will also harm the interests of American enterprises. China urges the U.S. to respect the laws of the market economy, stop generalizing the concept of national security, and cease politicizing and weaponizing economic and trade issues, in order to create a favorable environment for Sino-U.S. economic and trade cooperation.

  • IRS Plans to Reform Voluntary Disclosure Program, Lower Crypto Penalties and Expedite Cases

    According to Forbes, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is preparing to reform its voluntary disclosure program, aiming to reduce penalties and expedite the handling of tax violations, including those related to cryptocurrency. Jarod Koopman, the head of IRS Criminal Investigation, stated at the UCLA Extension Tax Controversy Conference that the goal is to launch the revised program by December, allowing taxpayers to resolve their cases within 120 days after completing the required filings; the current process often takes over a year. The reform will not create a separate disclosure process for digital assets, which will still be handled under the existing voluntary disclosure procedures. Koopman mentioned that the revised penalties will be 'significantly lower' than current levels, although he did not provide specific figures, and he is considering allowing taxpayers to settle their debts through installment payments or offers in compromise. Meanwhile, lawmakers are pushing for an independent voluntary disclosure program for taxpayers who unintentionally report crypto errors, as proposed in Section 502 of the Digital Asset Taxation Certainty Act, which passed the House Ways and Means Committee in September.

  • Abraxas Capital Achieves Record $193 Million Profit in Hyperliquid Perpetual Contracts

    On October 24, according to Hyperliquid News, the Abraxas Capital wallet has reached a record cumulative profit of $193 million in perpetual contracts on Hyperliquid. This profit is not solely from directional trading gains, as the positions have been hedged through spot assets. The wallet currently holds approximately $207.445 million in USDC, with a cumulative trading volume of $5.43 billion, an open position size of about $725 million, and significant holdings in BTC, ETH, and SOL on the platform.

  • Saudi-led Coalition Intercepts and Destroys Two Ballistic Missiles Fired by Houthi Rebels at Taif and Yanbu

    The Saudi-led coalition announced that it has intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by the Houthi rebels in Yemen towards Taif and Yanbu.

  • Ren Zeping's WeChat Account Banned from Following Due to Violations

    On October 24, according to Hongxing News, Ren Zeping's WeChat account has been banned from being followed due to violations. Currently, the account cannot be found through WeChat search, and new follows are not allowed, although its video account can still be followed normally. The account had content updates as recently as October 23, but the specific reasons for the restrictions have not been disclosed. Public information shows that Ren Zeping is an independent economist, founder of 'Zeping Macro', and currently serves as the vice president of the China Private Economy Research Association and chief economist of Zhongyuan Bank. He previously held the position of chief macro analyst at Guotai Junan Securities Research Institute.