Trump family's crypto venture, World Liberty Financial, is under scrutiny from Senate Democrats

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 seek

Senate Democrats are demanding more details about a multibillion-dollar transaction that is partly funded by a Trump family crypto venture and involves a pool of investors that includes foreign nationals, as congressional leaders seek more information about ways in which the first family may be seeking to blend profit with official government action, reports CBS News.

In an exchange of polite but pointed letters, which were reviewed by CBS News, the senators requested more information from the crypto firm and questioned 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," write Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Jeff Merkley of Oregon in the June 10 letter.

The letter is the latest development in a sprawling investigation by Democrats into the Trump family's crypto endeavors. It also comes as the Senate is set to vote on the GENIUS Act, legislation that 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.

The senators requested financial records related to the $2 billion investment in World Liberty, which is partly owned by the Trump family, made by MGX, an Emirati firm, and the involvement in the business deal by Binance, one of the world's largest crypto exchanges, which is controlled by a Singaporean national.

The letter to the CEOs of Binance and MGX also asks these firms to preserve communications between Binance officials, MGX, World Liberty Financial, the White House and other U.S. federal government agencies. It requests communications between specific individuals including President Trump, his sons Barron, Eric and Donald Jr.; and 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.

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.

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."

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 rapid price shifts. $TRUMP peaked at around $75 shortly after launch and plummeted to under $8 by April 2025.

Both crypto ventures are financially beneficial to the president's family, which receives a share of transaction fees, regardless of how the currency is valued.

The fine print on the World Liberty Financial's website says an entity affiliated with Mr. Trump and his family members own a 60% stake in the company. According to the company's public reports, a Trump family entity "DT Marks DEFI LLC" also holds 22.5 billion of the $WLF tokens and takes an additional 75% in net revenue from future token purchases.

On May 23, the president hosted a gala dinner for the top holders of his $TRUMP coin, where attendees spent an average of $1 million a person to mingle with Mr. Trump at his Virginia golf course. The analytics firm Chainalysis says Mr. Trump's family and other backers collected more than $300 million in transaction fees related to $TRUMP coin in the lead-up to the dinner.

In April, World Liberty Financial launched a new stablecoin product called "USD1," which is backed by U.S. Treasuries and cash equivalents. MGX agreed to purchase $2 billion worth of this currency to finance a deal with Binance.

"Why — beyond the obvious benefit of gaining favor, directly or indirectly, with the Trump Administration — did you select USD1, a newly-launched, untested cryptocurrency with a no track record?" Senators Warren and Merkley ask in their letter