Democrats demand more information about Trump family's crypto venture, partly owned by the first family

A war of words is escalating between Senate Democrats and executives at the crypto firm that is partly owned by President Trump's family

A war of words is escalating between Senate Democrats and executives at the crypto firm that is partly owned by President Trump’s family, as congressional leaders are seeking more information about ways in which the first family may be blending profit with official government action, CBS News has learned.

In an exchange of polite but pointed letters, Senate Democrats demanded more details about a multibillion-dollar transaction between the Trump family’s crypto venture, World Liberty Financial, and a pool of investors that includes foreign nationals. And the senators questioned the firm on its launch of a “stablecoin,” a crypto product backed directly by U.S. currency.

“The launch of a stablecoin directly tied to a sitting President who stands to benefit financially from the stablecoin’s success is an unprecedented conflict of interest presenting significant threats to both our financial system and our democracy,” Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Jeff Merkley of Oregon write in the June 10 letter.

The increased attention comes as the Senate is set to vote on the GENIUS Act, which would adopt a federal regulatory framework for stablecoins. Stablecoins, which are pegged to a certain value — typically the U.S. dollar — are designed to be less volatile than other crypto products. This makes it an attractive asset for users who want to move between cryptocurrencies more efficiently.

Earlier this year, the Senate Banking Committee approved legislation that would transfer authority over stablecoins from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Stablecoins are a key topic of discussion this year due to the rapid growth of the industry and concerns about whether existing financial regulations adequately cover these new products.

After months of debate, the House of Representatives approved a bill in April that would create a licensing requirement for stablecoin issuers and mandate that these products be fully backed by U.S. dollars or Treasury bonds.

Both the House bill and an earlier version of the Senate bill would also limit a president, the president’s family members and other government officials from holding any direct or indirect interest in a stablecoin issuer. This amendment was proposed by Sen. Merkley and broadly supported by Senate Democrats. However, it was later removed from the bill as part of a broader effort to secure more bipartisan support for the legislation.

“We were successful in getting bipartisan support to prevent a president or their family members from having any financial interest in a stablecoin. But ultimately, the GOP leadership pulled that amendment and we did not have the votes to include it in the final bill,” a spokesperson for Sen. Merkley told CBS News.

The senators’ letter requests financial records related to the $2 billion investment in World Liberty made by MGX, an Emirati firm, and the involvement in the business deal by Binance, one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges, controlled by a Singaporian national.

The letter is addressed to the CEOs of Binance and MGX, and it asks these firms to preserve communications between Binance officials, MGX, World Liberty Financial, the White House and other U.S. federal government agencies. It also requests communications between specific individuals including President Trump, his sons Barron, Eric and Donald Jr.; Zack and Alex Witkoff, co-founders of World Liberty Financial, and their father Steve Witkoff, the president’s special envoy to the Middle East.

The senators’ request is in response to a letter sent by World Liberty on May 29, in which the company’s lawyers dispute allegations that MGX’s $2 billion investment into Binance through World Liberty Financial improperly benefits the Trump family.

“What the Company rejects is the suggestion that legitimate financial innovation—especially innovation that strengthens U.S. competitiveness—should be treated with suspicion simply because it succeeds,” says the letter from World Liberty’s lawyers, reviewed by CBS News.

CBS News has reached out to the White House for comment about potential conflict of interest but did not hear back at the time of publication.

Trump family’s business interests in crypto

In the last six months, the Trump family has rolled out a series of announcements related to its business interests in crypto.

In the fall of 2024, the Trumps announced World Liberty Financial, a crypto exchange that says on its website it was “inspired” by Mr. Trump, who is listed as “chief Crypto Advocate,” while his three sons are listed as “Web3 Ambassadors.”

Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Months later, they announced both the $TRUMP coin and $MELANIA coin, crypto tokens known as “meme coins,” whose value is largely driven by social media buzz. This type of cryptocurrency is not usually used in transactions and is known for erratic price shifts. $TRUMP peaked at around $75 shortly after launch and plummeted to under $8 by April 2025 before rebounding a bit to about $11.

Both crypto ventures are financially beneficial to the president’s family, which receives