What Lawmakers Are Questioning
1. Disbanding the DOJ’s dedicated crypto enforcement team
In April 2025, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche instructed the Department of Justice (DOJ) to disband the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET) — a unit created under the Biden administration to pursue complex crypto crime cases, including money-laundering and exchange probes. The memo stated the DOJ “is not a digital assets regulator” and should focus solely on $traditional criminal use of crypto rather than broader regulatory enforcemen
2. Shift in Enforcement Priorities
The DOJ memo made clear that prosecutors should avoid charging regulatory violations related to crypto — such as unlicensed exchange operations or unregistered offerings — unless the defendant knowingly violated such requirements. Instead, the department will prioritize cases where investors are victimized or where digital assets are used in other criminal activity like fraud, terrorism, or trafficking. $ETH
Lawmakers’ Concerns $BNB
🚨 Conflict of Interest Allegations
U.S. Senators led by Mazie Hirono, Elizabeth Warren, and Dick Durbin have publicly challenged Deputy AG Blanche over the decision, arguing that he held substantial cryptocurrency assets at the time he issued the enforcement shift. The senators claim this could represent a conflict of interest and federal ethics violations — since a softer enforcement stance potentially benefits the crypto industry and the value of crypto holdings. They’ve demanded Blanche provide communications and documentation related to his decision-making. $BTC
