Senator Elizabeth Warren just called a massive $500 million investment in a Trump-linked crypto venture an “apparent bribe” that puts US national security at risk, as reported by Politico. The Massachusetts Senator, who is the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, dropped this bombshell while discussing the long-awaited digital assets bill.
It’s clear why this latest development has completely derailed negotiations, forcing Congress to brace for a major ethics standoff concerning President Trump’s ties to the booming cryptocurrency industry. This controversy centers on a huge cash injection into World Liberty Financial, a crypto venture rolled out by President Trump and his sons during the 2024 presidential race.
A company backed by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a royal figure from Abu Dhabi, acquired a 49 percent stake in World Liberty. That transaction involved a $500 million investment, with a staggering $187 million of that money reportedly going directly to Trump-affiliated entities. This is a huge deal because the crypto industry has been fighting for years to pass a market structure bill that would finally give them the regulatory legitimacy they need to enter the financial mainstream.
With the bill needing at least seven Democratic votes to pass, its fate hinges entirely on whether the White House will finally agree to separate President Trump and his family from their highly lucrative crypto ventures
This bill would split oversight of crypto trading in the US between different Wall Street regulators. With the White House pressing Congress to pass this industry-friendly legislation, Democrats are seizing this moment to demand ethics guardrails be included in the final text. Republicans need Democratic votes to pass the legislation, giving the left rare leverage to address long-festering concerns about the first family’s business dealings.
Senator Warren didn’t mince words when describing the situation, stating that every time the crypto industry tries to move their bill forward, supporters have to overlook the ethics issue. She added that “This latest apparent bribe from the UAE, that puts our national security at risk, means that crypto supporters now have to overlook an even taller steaming pile of corruption.”
Other Democrats are echoing this outrage. Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey said the Abu Dhabi deal has created “more of a sense of moral urgency” to include ethics provisions. Booker believes the Trump administration has “demonstrated the grossest, most egregious corruption from the White House we have ever seen.”
Senator Adam Schiff, who has been involved in the negotiations for months, agrees. He said the bill needs clear ethics language that doesn’t “treat the president differently than any other federal employee.” Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona concurred, stating the deal “reinforces why we have to have ethics as part of the final market structure bill.”
The White House, however, is firmly pushing back against the idea that the President has any conflict of interest. White House counsel David Warrington stated that President Trump “has no involvement in business deals that would implicate his constitutional responsibilities.” He suggested that making accusations otherwise is “either ill-informed or malicious.”
A spokesperson for World Liberty Financial, David Wachsman, confirmed the deal happened but noted that President Trump was not involved in the transaction and currently holds no role with the company. Wachsman also stressed that World Liberty Financial “is not a political organization.”
Published: Feb 5, 2026 02:00 pm